May 4, 2015 / Modified may 5, 2015 9:14 a.m.

Free Compost Available for Tucson Gardeners

The city will offer the soil booster at Randolph and Udall Parks this week

Lady in Garden Spot A look into the Sleeping Frog Farms.
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Gardeners know how important compost is for healthy soil. Making it can be messy and smelly for those in urban environments, however.

Help is available for city-dwelling green thumbs this week when the Tucson Environmental Services Department offers residents a free portion of compost made from local restaurants' scraps.

International Composting Week in Tucson is a BYOB occasion: bring your own bucket, of course.

Tucson Environmental Services spokesperson Cristina Polsgrove says food scraps make up a significant amount of waste that usually ends up in landfills.

"About 80 percent of what we bury [at landfills] is either compostable or recyclable," Polsgrove said. "That’s a huge amount.”

Tucson’s compost program is a collaboration between the University of Arizona and the Tohono O’odham Nation. The program is funded through service fees.

Residents can collect a portion of compost through this weekend at either Randolph or Udall Park.

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