Have you seen the green and white shed beside The LEAP Hub? It belongs to Star City Compost, a new Roanoke business led by former LEAP Community Gardens Manager Davey Stewards, that is turning food waste into compost at a newly built facility in Northeast Roanoke.

Here's how it works: Residents can choose to have food waste picked up at their homes or, for a lower fee, bring food scraps to a drop-off shed. LEAP will serve as one of a growing number of drop-off sites at its 1027 Patterson Ave. location. (Choosing LEAP as a compost drop-off site could be super convenient for a regular West End Farmers Market shopper, someone picking up their LEAP Farm Share at The LEAP Hub, or someone planning to shop at the retail store.)

Compost pickup began in January. Find more information (and a signup form) here. The opening of Star City Compost is an exciting development (it's the first compost facility in Roanoke), and another effort moving our city toward a more sustainable future with more resilient food systems.