Compost for Life is on a mission to clean up South Florida and support local farms

An effort is underway to clean up South Florida and aid local farms at the same time Now you can be part of it Heather Walker takes a look in our Spotlight Shoveling soil and emptying garbage bins is dirty work but Francisco Torres is up for the job Francisco Torres When you think about it you are either part of the resolution or you re part of the challenge Torres is turning food scraps into compost to help the conditions Francisco Torres So when we think about composting it s a natural breakdown of organic matter and it s the way that nature recycles When Francisco moved to South Florida a limited years ago he noticed a need Francisco Torres There was no composting operation here there was not an opportunity to prevent food waste and I declared You know what I m going to start doing something about it ' Not only did Francisco want to encourage people to start composting he required to make it easy for them In he started Compost for Life It works like a trash facility People toss their leftover food into a bin that s picked up and taken to a compost hub in Homestead or Miami Beach Francisco Torres So we repeat that process every week So we go to your condominium your multi-unit your house we go to your doorstep The scraps are mixed with mulch and turned at least once a week to break down the food Then nature does the rest Francisco Torres So in days we ll have finished compost We collected pounds that first week Fast forward almost five years later and we re collecting over pounds per week Compost for Life is gaining traction across South Florida and restaurants like Stubborn Seed on Miami Beach are helping out by chipping in with their scraps Logan McNeil Anything that once had life can be composted recycled and made into compost and utilized again right So that s any trims on our proteins any trims on our fruits and vegetables A insufficient hours before the restaurant doors open the staff is busy in the kitchen prepping food for dinner amenity Chef Logan McNeil says if the food doesn t end up on a plate it s tossed in a container and taken outside to a bright pink Compost for Life bin Logan McNeil We ve been able to offset over pounds of food trims and scraps and things like that that would have otherwise been in a landfill It s just one way that we can give back to the Earth right Most of of the compost is sent to local farms that supply produce to restaurants like Stubborn Seed It s also donated to district gardens across South Florida Francisco Torres All that we re doing here is making sure that every time that you put a food item or food scrap into a pink bucket that bucket will be composted That s our guarantee A guarantee for a cleaner brighter future Heather Walker News Compost for Life s function starts at a month for houses Prices for multi-unit buildings and businesses vary and quotes are available For more info on Compost for Life and how to register click here If you know of a person place or group that you think we should highlight email us at spotlight wsvn com