For the past eight years, Birdhouse has partnered with NOPE (Natural Organic Process Enterprises) and Sustainable RVA Zero Waste Initiative to provide the Randolph neighborhood with a place to bring kitchen waste and food scraps for composting.
The project has grown from a single bin, emptied weekly, to three compost bins emptied twice a week. In 2022, our composting project diverted 31,450 pounds of food scraps & organic material from landfills.
We receive calls and emails weekly from local residents looking for the compost bins. They can be a little tricky to find, but once you know where to look it’s simple to divert your food scraps from our landfills!
Between the Randolph Community Pool and Randolph tennis courts in Petronius Jones Park, is a brick gazebo. The bins are situated just outside the gazebo, closest to the pool and next to the Birdhouse Community Garden (look for the blue shed, then look for the gazebo. The three bins outside of the gazebo space, closest to the pool and blue shed are what you are looking for!). They are available 24/7 and emptied on Tuesdays and Fridays.
You are welcome to bring your kitchen waste and table scraps, but we ask that you do not bring your yard waste, as the program is not designed for such material. At this time, the bins are not accepting compostable packaging materials - only kitchen waste and table scraps allowed!
Urban Composting Tips:
Tupperware containers, plastic bags full of scraps in the freezer, 5-gallon buckets on the back porch, old cat litter containers - really anything can become a compost container once it’s cleaned out! You don’t need to purchase anything to start composting - look around and you’re sure to find a container that would work.
If space and the smell of compost is an issue, try putting your container in the freezer! This cuts down on the smell and you can dump the container once it’s full.
Birdhouse isn’t the only space with urban composting options! Richmond Grows Gardens has installed composting sites all over the city - if Randolph is too far, check out RGG’s composting sites to see if one is closer by!