Compost Collective KC plans curbside food-scrap pickup in Lawrence

Compost Collective KC has filed plans for an approximately quarter-acre composting site at 1701 E. 1500 Road in North Lawrence, just north of Seventh and North streets. The project could open the door to curbside food-scrap pickup for Lawrence households. The site is already a vegetable farm, and the finished compost would be used to help nearby crops grow.

For now, Compost Collective KC already picks up food waste from some Lawrence restaurants and other commercial food-service customers, but it does not yet run a residential curbside system in the city. Under the company’s plan, households would get a bucket or bin for food scraps and compostable materials, set it out on a scheduled day, and have it emptied, cleaned and returned for reuse. Chief executive Tony Whitter described the model as a farm-to-table, table-to-farm cycle that keeps food scraps out of the landfill stream.

The proposal still needs a county use permit, and that means it will come before Douglas County commissioners. A conditional use permit is designed for land uses that may be wanted in the community but could affect surrounding properties, the character of the area, the road network or other nearby features. In this case, the review is likely to focus on neighborhood compatibility, traffic and whether the facility could create noxious conditions.

The Board of County Commissioners is a five-member elected body, and the Lawrence-Douglas County Planning Commission typically meets in the fourth week of each month before projects move on for county action. The county’s application materials also require the applicant to address the zoning review criteria.

The Lawrence proposal would add a food-scrap option to a local waste system that already has other compost outlets. The City of Lawrence operates a compost facility at 1420 E. 11th Street where residents can drop off yard waste and pick up compost and woodchips, and it also runs a commercial compost-facility drop-off program for lawn care and property management companies. Its Kansas City-area service, offered since 2017, also includes bin swapping, community compost bins and commercial composting for businesses, apartments and shared spaces.

The food waste it collects in Kansas City goes to Urbavore Farm. Composting helps divert food waste from landfills and reduces methane-related greenhouse-gas pollution.