About the Food Scrap Drop-Off Program

The Community Food Scrap Drop-off Program was originally funded by the USDA/NIFA Grant awarded to the Association of Oklahoma Governments (ACOG). Fertile Ground Cooperative was the sub-awardee of this grant. It was a two-year pilot program that was free to the residents of Central Oklahoma during the grant period, which ended in May 2026. But the program continues!

Why is food not trash?

• Wasted food is the largest single component of everyday garbage. Composting food scraps and yard trimmings diverts waste from polluting landfills and incinerators.

• Compost enhances the soil by improving soil when applied to it. It adds organic matter, structure, fertility, microbes, water storage, and disease resistance.

• Landfills and incinerators emit potent greenhouse gases. Compost added to soils helps sequester carbon. It also offsets fossil-fuel-intensive fertilizers. Healthy soils are an important carbon sink.

• Community composting encourages people to engage with each other. They also learn how their food is grown. Commercial compost sites sustain 4-8 times more jobs per ton than landfills and incinerators.

  *Some of our sites are FREE to use! Please check out the map below. They are listed in yellow!