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In these troubled times, here's a rare piece of good news! The city government in Washington DC has set up locked bins around the city where residents can leave food scraps for composting! These bins are so much more convenient than the once-a-week collections of food scraps at farmers markets. They are available 24/7, and there are several in each ward.

Please do NOT throw anything in the bins that isn't compostable. Note that green-tinted produce bags from local grocery stores are NOT compostable. Also NOT compostable are produce stickers. For a full list of composting dos and don'ts, a map of the bins, and the code to open the bins, see https://zerowaste.dc.gov/FoodWasteDropOff

Be warned that using the bins requires two good arms and normal adult height. It's disappointing that the city didn't choose a design that would be usable by people of more body types. Still, these bins are a step in the right direction!

A note for faraway readers: These bins were installed by the CITY government of Washington DC, which is separate from the federal government. However, Republicans in Congress like to meddle in city affairs, and there has been talk recently about eliminating the District of Columbia's elected city government and replacing it with an administrator chosen by the Republicans. Local people are horrified by this prospect. The composting program is one example of what's at stake. It doesn't seem likely that the Republicans, if they eliminated the city government, would continue the new drop-off program for food scraps. One reason that DC residents want statehood is so we will have protection against threats to eliminate our elected city government. Although not perfect, the city government does some good work.