City manager offers details for persons interested in depositing food scraps
“Good news,” Sarasota City Manager Tom Barwin announced in his May 29 newsletter: The Community Compost sites at three city parks re-opened last week with some modifications “and are again accepting deposits of your food scraps.”
“Our partners at the local nonprofit Sunshine Community Compost have come up with new guidelines and two options that help support public health during the COVID-19 outbreak,” Barwin continued:
- Option 1 — Residents may bring their food scraps to one of the three sites (Arlington, Gillespie or North Water Tower park) and drop them off anytime during park hours. “You’re asked to wear a mask and gloves throughout your visit and maintain physical distance if others are present,” he added. “If you have a scale at home, consider weighing your scraps in advance.”
- Option 2 — Registered participants concerned about cross-contamination may visit the sites during scheduled times when staff from Sunshine Community Compost will be present to help guide them through the drop-off process “and do all the weighing, handling and any necessary wiping down of bins or buckets,” Barwin noted. Those times are as follows:
- 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at North Water Tower Park, located at 4700 Rilma Ave. in Sarasota.
- 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays at Arlington Park, located at 2650 Waldemere St.
- 7 to 8 p.m. Thursdays at Gillespie Park, located at 710 N. Osprey Ave.
“The schedule is subject to change, Barwin pointed out, so interested persons should visit http://www.sunshinecommunitycompost.org or email info@sunshinecommunitycompost.org for more details.
“We appreciate the efforts of Sunshine Community Compost executive director Tracie Troxler and her team to prioritize public health while restoring this popular and vital service, which diverts thousands of pounds of material from our landfill each year,” Barwin concluded his newsletter announcement.