Providence resident Stewart Martin’s passion for science and art have informed his work to promote urban gardening and composting.
My husband and I have a compost pile in Massachusetts (with a naughty mystery squash reaching out to strangle our neighbor’s lilac), but we are not brave enough to compost food scraps as there are too many animals around. I think if I lived in Providence though, I’d try a food-composting service and reduce my contribution to landfills.
In a recent edition of ecoRI News, Abby Bora interviewed Stewart Martin, a Providence entrepreneur who has perfected the art of urban composting and now offers his skills to others through Providence GardenWorks.
“Martin and his wife, Adrienne Morris, moved to Providence 15 years ago from New York City.
They were looking for a yard and fresh air, along with the bustle of a city. Providence was the perfect place. …
“Martin and Morris decided to replace their shrubs and perennials with veggies. To grow his skills, Martin trained through multiple gardening and composting programs. He has earned numerous certifications, including becoming a tree steward with the Rhode Island Tree Council and a University of Rhode Island master gardener.
“Martin said that in the past 14 years, his family hasn’t contributed even a cup’s worth of food scrap to landfills.
“ ‘We’re throwing away gold,’ he said, when food scrap is casually discarded.
“Compost — recycled food scrap, among other organic ingredients — contains many necessary soil nutrients that are valuable in fighting soil depletion. When not composted, organic matter rots in landfills, creating heat-trapping greenhouse gases such as methane. …
“Providence GardenWorks provides installation and training to urban gardeners and composters. For his composting clients, Martin installs an outdoor, animal-proof compost machine, and teaches them how to use it. He also provides a stainless-steel food-scrap pail, carbon filters, aerator, and a full bag of shredded leaves to begin the composting process. After installation, he offers technical support over the phone, via e-mail and on-site for six months. …
“While local organizations are working toward better food-scrap management, Martin wishes the city of Providence would commit to initiatives like the food-scrap collection program run by the city of Berkeley, Calif. … ‘The myriad benefits are well documented and it’s not rocket science. No one has to reinvent the wheel here.’ ”
More at ecoRI News, here.
Suzanne's Mom's Blog 
We compost food scraps, here in our rural setting, and don’t worry much about the raccoons, I guess. But it’s neat that city dwellers have options!
It’s the meat scraps that give me pause. You really have to know what you are doing.
Oh, we never compost meat or anything with fats–that takes special commitment!