Central Manor Compost

The single largest component of residential waste in Pennsylvania is food. In Lancaster County, most of our trash is incinerated for energy. How "clean" that energy is (not to mention the potential for air pollution and our continued reliance on single use products) is open to debate. The remainder of our waste is sent to the landfill, releasing methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. Our food waste problem is even more alarming when you consider the fact that food waste isn't just wasted food. Food waste occurs across the food supply chain, from losses in farming to losses in disposal. The decomposition of uneaten food accounts for 23 percent of all methane emissions in the United States. That’s the equivalent of 39 million passenger vehicles!

Central Manor Compost is a small, locally-owned vermicomposting operation dedicated to community education about sustainable, closed-loop food systems. Our mission is to create and maintain a healthy, local food system that begins and ends with nutrient rich soil. We plan to pilot a weekly curbside food scrap collection service and offer a monthly drop-off at a partnering location (i.e. farmer’s market). Home composting consultations, workshops, and other opportunities for educational outreach are paramount to our success as a social enterprise. Our end product, vermicast, can be sold alone, added to soil mixes, or brewed into a tea and used as a liquid fertilizer. Derivative products, like worm bins for home-use, may also be sold.

Composting is one of the easiest ways to reduce our carbon footprint! As a family of seven, we are always looking for ways to curb our environmental impact. I am passionate about educating others on the benefits of composting, from reducing waste to creating healthier soil. Vermicomposting is especially intriguing to a younger audience of future composters, who are curious to learn all about how worms (and their mighty microbe friends) help break down food scraps into a natural fertilizer that can be used to grow healthy food. Our children are our future. Let’s help relieve some of the burden we have placed on their shoulders and make composting part of a healthy food system, from farm to table to soil.