What are we doing?

Chickadee Compost is composting food scraps from the Blue Hill peninsula’s households, businesses, and schools; along with crab waste from local crab pickers, and spent grain from a local brewery. Mouse bedding, wood shavings, saw dust, and wood chips round out our compost “recipe”.

Finished compost is for sale in the fall and spring/summer (while supplies last). Please check out our store for more info on compost sales and current availability. Compost can be picked up at our compost site on certain dates, and is also available for delivery. We can deliver up to 5 cubic yards per trip.

Chickadee Compost also hosts educational visits for local schools and community groups, to explain the composting process and learn more about food waste diversion and the importance of composting for our community, to decrease methane emissions, to sequester carbon in our soils, and to improve soil health.

In 2022, Chickadee Compost diverted over 250,000 pounds of food scraps, crab waste, and spent grain from the solid waste stream.

Why are we doing it?

Food scraps and yard waste together currently make up about 40 percent of what we throw away. Every year, each American throws out about 1,200 pounds of organic garbage that could be composted. Organic waste in landfills generates methane, a potent greenhouse gas. By composting wasted food and other organics, our local methane emissions can be reduced. 

Chickadee Compost is diverting organic waste from the local waste stream, and to reduce the cost to our towns of disposing of that waste. Using local resources to create a valuable soil amendment, Chickadee Compost is reducing our community’s methane gas emissions, while at the same time keeping more carbon in the ground and out of the atmosphere. 

Compost reduces or eliminates the need for chemical fertilizers, it enriches soil, helps retain moisture, and helps prevent erosion.

Developing an effective composting system on our peninsula helps our community to combat climate change through direct action. Join the fun!

Where are we doing it?

Our focus is on the Blue Hill peninsula and Ellsworth - from Castine to Surry/Ellsworth and down to Stonington, including the towns of Blue Hill, Brooklin, Brooksville, Sedgwick, Deer Isle, and Penobscot. Food scraps are dropped off by households at community drop-off points on the peninsula. Larger businesses and schools fill provided totes that we pick-up.