Food composting available for Dover residents at Recycling Center

City of Dover’s Recycling Center now provides a bin for residents to drop off their food compost.

The City of Dover has partnered with Seacoast-based Mr. Fox Composting to provide residents with a no-cost, composting option to divert waste and tonnage from the solid waste stream that gets landfilled.

The 64-gallon tote is located at the Recycling Center between the corrugated cardboard bin and the used book building. It is available for resident drop-off anytime the Recycling Center is open, which is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The Recycling Center is located at 265 Mast Road in Dover.

The food composting bins accept all food scraps, including:

• Meat
• Meat bones
• Eggshells
• Bread
• Seafood (including shells)
• Fruits and vegetables (pits and nuts too)
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Wooden stirrers
• Sugar packets
• Brown paper napkins and towels
• Teabags (with staples removed)
• Ground tea
• Muffin wrappers
• Flowers and floral trimmings
• Corks 

Community Services, which operates the Recycling Center, plans to add additional totes or request more frequent collections from Mr. Fox as demand increases. The City of Dover’s cost to host a bin that is picked up weekly is $69.07 a month. Solid Waste Coordinator Michael Moore said it would take time for the City to evaluate any potential savings from diverting food compost from the solid waste stream. 

Adding the food composting program fulfils a recommendation made in the Climate Adaptation chapter of the Master Plan that was adopted in 2018.

Recommendation 22 noted the City should: “Investigate the feasibility of implementing a food composting pilot program at Public Works to determine public interest in food waste composting and obtain insight into operational adjustments when collecting food waste, as well as partner with existing residential compost programs to offer curbside pickup.”

“It is great to see the collection of food waste at the Recycling Center,” said Assistant City Manager Christopher G. Parker. “Dover has long recognized the need to reduce waste and promote responsible stewardship of land and resources. Being able to compliment Mr. Fox’s curbside pickup of compost with a static location is a bonus for the community as it allows more people to have access to this resource. It not only reduces waste going to the landfill but also takes the heaviest and dense waste out of the bags, lowering costs to residents who use the service.

“Moving forward with this program demonstrates once again the community and municipal commitment to long-range planning, strategic goal setting and accomplishment,” Parker said.

For more information, contact Community Services at 516-6450.