Making Green Waves in Erie Composting

Jordan Coon

Allison Lucas, owner and sole employee of Green Waves Composting, felt called to help make the world better after the birth of her daughter. Green Waves makes composting your food scraps simple, reducing food waste in the landfill.

One of the biggest causes of excess waste in America is food. Approximately 40 percent of all food in America is discarded, according to data from Feeding America. Other studies show that nearly 42 billion tons of food are thrown away each year in the U.S., putting us second only to Australia for the highest food waste rate globally, and contributing to 8 percent of all greenhouse gases emitted in that department, according to earth.org.

When food waste is sent to the landfill, the nutrients never have the opportunity to return to the soil. In fact, those materials that end up in the landfill create methane gas while decomposing. Methane is 25 times more potent and efficient at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide.

Enter Allison Lucas, who is a mom here in Erie, and who is scared for her daughter's future. She started Green Waves Compost in hopes that she could lower the impact of her food waste and, consequently, the greenhouse gases that waste emits.

"I never planned on having kids, mainly because of my disappointment in the state of humanity, but now that I have her, my mindset has shifted. I have to try to teach her to be tenacious in our attempts to make a difference no matter how big or small." Lucas says.

She continues, "Composting at home can be very simple to learn, and Green Waves offers all the necessary equipment to get you started on your difference-making journey. We offer weekly collection services with options of two or four gallon bins, and biweekly services that include a two gallon bin."

Navigating how to help the planet can be tough sometimes, but adding the habit of composting is a quick and easy way to start. Lucas, who happens to be the only employee of Green Waves Composting, makes it simple by doing most of it for you — from providing the bins, to picking up waste, and seeing it through to final compost. Customers can choose plans based on their individual needs: biweekly pickup in a two gallon receptacle is $18/month, weekly pickup in a two gallon receptacle is $32/month, and weekly pickup with a four gallon receptacle is $40/month.

All compost that is created as a result of this collected food waste will either go back to the individual customers for use in their gardens or be redistributed throughout community gardens in Erie. With Green Waves Composting taking marked steps towards improving the food waste situation in Erie, clients can expect to rest easy knowing that their food will be wasted no more.

To reach Allison and Green Waves Compost you can call 814-580-6682, email at a.lucas@greenwavescompost.com, visit greenwavescompost.com.