May 08, 2024
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
Reading Terminal Market has partnered with the Main Line pickup service Mother Compost on its pilot program, which began in April.
In the month since Philadelphia's century-old public market began saving some of its food scraps, it's already returned 30 tons of fruit peels, eggshells and coffee grounds to the dirt.
Reading Terminal Market shared initial findings Tuesday from its pilot compost program, which began on April 1. The nonprofit market has partnered with Mother Compost, a pick-up company servicing the Main Line, for the five-month pilot, which produced 2 tons of organic material in its first day. It has generated a total of 30 tons, or about 60,000 pounds, to date.
Only 10 of the market's 76 merchants are participating in the pilot, but there are plans to include more if the program "continues to be successful," public relations rep London Faust said. The vendors enrolled in the pilot include Beiler's Bakery, Iovine Brothers Produce, Old City Coffee, John Yi Fish Market, Glick's Rib Shack, LUHV Vegan Deli, Lancaster County Dairy, OK Produce, Four Seasons Juice Bar and By George Pizza, Pasta and Cheesesteaks.
These merchants store compostable items in containers in their stalls, which are emptied into the market's 64-gallon compost bins as needed. Mother Compost then collects scraps from the trash room every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, ferrying them to Linvilla Orchards where they are composted by another suburban service, Kitchen Harvest. The Drexel Hill company is already the composter for various schools and breweries in the Main Line area.
Annie Allman, the CEO and general manager of the Reading Terminal Market Corporation, said in a statement that she "saw major interest from the first group of participating merchants" and looked forward to "growing this program to include even more once the pilot is complete."
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