Composting (Garden)

Composting is one of the easiest ways for gardeners and farmers to get involved in waste reduction while improving the health of the soil that you grow your fruits and vegetables in. Below is a list of organizations providing or specializing in compost in the DC-area region.

Alexandria DPW & Alexandria Recovery Stations

logo for Alexandria DPW & Alexandria Recovery Stations

A recycling center in Alexandria for a wide variety of things to recycle and free unscreened leaf and tree trimming mulch for Alexandria residents for pickup. Paid deliveries. In addition the Alexandria Resource Recovery Division now has Resource Recovery Stations at the City’s Famers’ Markets. Staff will be on site to explain how to compost food and yard waste at home, and accept items for composting. There will also be compost tubs available to purchase for $5.

Alexandria DPW & Alexandria Recovery Stations

American Plant

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We at American Plant, family-owned environmentally responsible garden centers, providing superior plants, products, knowledge and services for our customers and community.

American Plant

Arlington County Department of Environment

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A recycling center in Arlington for a wide variety of things to recycle. This center also offers free unscreened leaf and tree trimming mulch for Arlington residents for pickup. Paid deliveries.

Arlington County Department of Environment

Azure B. LLC

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We offer dedicated, professional beekeeping services & equipment, compact composting systems and a Fruit Share program around the DC Metro area & southern Maryland.

Azure B. LLC

Behnke Nurseries

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Behnke Nurseries sells a full range of ornamental and edible gardening plants, for outdoors and indoors, and everything you need to make them grow. We also have excellent landscape and florist services. Our events reinforce our commitment to bringing gardens and nature to the public.

Behnke Nurseries

Brainfood

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Brainfood is a non-profit youth development organization in Washington, DC. Using food as a tool, Brainfood builds life skills and promotes healthy living in a fun and safe environment.

Brainfood

Brainfood - Specific Information on Composting

Brainfood Youth Garden

logo for Brainfood Youth Garden

The Youth Garden supports Brainfood’s mission of youth development through food education by providing youth an experiential learning space for seed-to-plate concepts.

Brainfood Youth Garden

Brainfood Youth Garden - Specific Information on Composting

Chesapeake Compost Works

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Chesapeake Compost Works recycles organic waste materials into high quality compost and soil blends in both bags and bulk. Made in Baltimore, delivered to you.

Chesapeake Compost Works

Chesepeake Compost Works

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Chesapeake Compost Works recycles organic waste materials into high quality compost and soil blends in both bags and bulk. Made in Baltimore, delivered to you.

Chesepeake Compost Works

City Blossoms

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City Blossoms is a nonprofit dedicated to fostering healthy communities by developing creative, kid-driven green spaces and innovative resources, approaches, and techniques.

City Blossoms

City Blossoms - Specific Information on Composting

Common Good City Farm

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Common Good City Farm’s programs provide hands-on training in food production, healthy eating and environmental sustainability. The Farm itself serves as a demonstration site to individuals, organizations and government agencies in the DC Metro area. The site and our programs integrate people of all ages, classes and races to create vibrant and safe communities.

Common Good City Farm

Common Good City Farm - Specific Information on Composting

Compost Cab

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Compost Cab is a production of Agricity LLC, a Washington, DC-based company committed to building healthier, more sustainable, more productive cities by offering home, commerical and other types of composting services.

Compost Cab

Compost Crew

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Simple, clean, convenient collection of compostables – food scraps, egg shells, napkins and more! – You separate, we do the dirty work! We provide the bin and compostable liner and we collect every week to bring to a local farm or compost facility to compost all of your food waste! Every 6 months, all crewmembers are eligible to get free compost back! Find out more at compostcrew.com

Compost Crew

DC Water Biosolids Program: Bloom

logo for DC Water Biosolids Program: Bloom

DC Water’s Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant treats more than 370 million gallons a day of raw sewage. As part of an ambitious program to improve the way we process and handle biosolids, DC Water has developed a long-range biosolids management program. The biosolids program is entirely focused on recycling an organic and nutrient-rich material in an environmentally safe and beneficial manner. All of the more than 1,200 wet tones of biosolids produced daily is reused through a diverse land application program that improves the soil for agricultural production and other projects.

DC Water Biosolids Program: Bloom

DC Water Biosolids Program: Bloom - Specific Information on Composting

Dejavue Trucking

Dump truck for hire to transport soil and soil amendments in DC.

DPR Urban Garden Division

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DC Parks and Rec (DPR) Urban Garden Division works with communities across the District to establish urban Ag projects (currently 31 community gardens and 5 non profit production farms) and urban ag support systems such as a urban garden education program offering over a 100 free classes, a citywide critter proof community compost cooperative iniitiative, a garden toolshare, a greenhouse coop, tree planting intiatives and an urban bee program.

DPR Urban Garden Division

DPR Urban Garden Division - Specific Information on Composting

DPW Helping Hands

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DPW helps community groups that organize Saturday neighborhood clean-up projects through the Helping Hand Program. The program will lend tool kits that include five rakes and brooms, two shovels, and 20 trash bags and free compost for neighborhood beautification projects in parks.

DPW Helping Hands

Dreaming Out Loud, Inc.

logo for Dreaming Out Loud, Inc.

Dreaming Out Loud, Inc. is a nonprofit social enterprise whose mission is to create economic opportunity within marginalized communities through creating a healthy, equitable food system. We are rebuilding urban, community-based food systems through social enterprise, helping to increase access to healthy food and improve community health, develop low-income entrepreneurs and cooperatives, and train at-risk adult residents for sustainable, family-supporting wages.

Dreaming Out Loud, Inc.

Dreaming Out Loud, Inc. - Specific Information on Composting

ECO City Farms

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ECO City Farms is an educational, non-profit organization located in Prince George’s County, Maryland designed to serve as a prototype for sustainable local urban farming. Currently, they operate two farms in Maryland, offer training classes and have a CSA with Certified Naturally Grown produce.

ECO City Farms

ECO City Farms - Specific Information on Composting

Fort Dupont Stables

Stables that have horse manure. Call ahead of time before picking up.

Fort Dupont Stables

Howard University Community Garden (Halo Green)

logo for Howard University Community Garden (Halo Green)

The Howard University Community Garden offers plots for HU students and incubator space for student food entrepreneurs. Additionally, it operates a community composting program.

Howard University Community Garden (Halo Green)

Howard University Community Garden (Halo Green) - Specific Information on Composting

Marion Street Intergenerational Garden

logo for Marion Street Intergenerational Garden

A City Blossom’s intergenerational education garden.

Marion Street Intergenerational Garden

Marion Street Intergenerational Garden - Specific Information on Composting

Maryland Environmental Services

logo for Maryland Environmental Services

MES provides services at competitive rates to government and private sector clients and works on projects including water and wastewater treatment, solid waste management, composting, recycling, dredged material management, hazardous materials cleanup, storm water services and renewable energy. We provide expert engineering, monitoring and inspection services.

Maryland Environmental Services

Maryland Environmental Services - Specific Information on Composting

Merrifeld Garden Center

logo for Merrifeld Garden Center

We’re a full-service garden center, nursery and landscaping company that has been serving customers throughout Northern Virginia and the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area since 1971. With three full-service garden centers in Virginia – Merrifield, Fairfax and Gainesville – we offer one of the largest selections of plants and gardening accessories in the entire country.

Merrifeld Garden Center

Pogo Tree Experts

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Pogo Tree Experts’ certified arborists provide a variety of tree related services including consultation, preservation and tree removal. Pogo Tree Experts also offers emergency tree care with the ability to remove or trim trees to lessen the long-term damage to both the tree and surrounding property. It operates a compost facility, Acme Biomass Reduction that is state-certified Natural Wood Waste Recycling Facility.

Pogo Tree Experts

Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility (Western Branch)

logo for Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility (Western Branch)

Prince George’s County manages the Western Branch Composting Facility and contracts with MES to operate the facility in Upper Marlboro, MD. Yard waste (including grass clippings, leaves, brush, small branches and Christmas trees), is collected from approximately 158,000 households in the County and delivered to the facility. Once the yard waste is delivered, it is ground, placed in windrows and processed into compost. The compost, known as Leafgro©, is sold to wholesalers in bulk. Residents may buy Leafgro© from retailers.

Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility (Western Branch)

Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility (Western Branch) - Specific Information on Composting

Project EDEN

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Intergenerational community and education garden inside a hoop house.

Project EDEN

Project EDEN - Specific Information on Composting

Rock Creek Park Stables

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Pickup only. Come before 9am and not on the weekends. Call ahead. Manure is mixed with sawdust. Bring a shovel.

Rock Creek Park Stables

Takoma Park Public Works Department

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This is the Public Works Facility for the City of Takoma Park. In addition to the staff and equipment that serves the City, the facility also has stock piles of leaf mulch and wood chips available for anyone to self haul. The area with the leaf mulch and wood chips is accessible 7 days a week. The City also offers delivery, for a fee, ($65 for 3 yards, $105 for 7 or 10 yards) within 15 miles of Takoma Park. To schedule delivery call 301-891-7633 8:30 to 5 Monday through Friday. Deliveries are on Friday only.

Takoma Park Public Works Department

THEARC Farm

logo for THEARC Farm

THEARC FARM is an urban farm operating as a community project of Building Bridges Across the River (BBAR) and developed to involve our community in nature, nutrition, and healthy eating. During the summer and fall months, THEARC’s farm provides affordable, organic fruits and vegetables the community through our CSA program, as well as educational programming, field trips, volunteer opportunities, tours and community events.

THEARC Farm

Urban Farm Plans

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Serving the DC metro area, Urban Farm Plans offers turnkey design, building, and installation services for urban farmers and edible gardeners alike. Tailored workshops are also available through Urban Farm Plans, along with wholesale kit systems.

Urban Farm Plans

Veterans Compost

logo for Veterans Compost

Provides food scrap collection and composting for residential, commercial and special event pickups. Accepts food and wood chip drop offs and two locations in MD and VA. Sells organic compost suitable for organic farming. Provides composting consultations. Veteran owned and operated.

Veterans Compost

Wangari Gardens

logo for Wangari Gardens

Nonprofit DC garden park designed, created, and sustained by the community. Provides public (free) and private (fee) garden plots, education/workshops, tool share, CSA, garden consultations, and more.

Wangari Gardens

Wangari Gardens - Specific Information on Composting

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