News and Events
406 Recycling & Compost is pleased to host Heidi Drivdahl, founder and co-owner of Eco Montana of Bozeman. Eco Montana’s mission is to rid the world of single use Styrofoam and plastic by bringing compostable solutions to the foodservice industry by providing products made from plants.
Heidi will be available to discuss compostable solutions at the Real Food Market, meet with businesses by appointment, and will be at Ten Mile Brewery for a community happy hour meet and greet.
Schedule
11 a.m. – 1 p.m. – Real Food Market Meet & Greet
1:30 – 4 p.m. – One-on-One business meeting
5 p.m. – 7 p.m. – Ten Mile Community Happy Hour
Please RSVP for the Real Food Market event (recommended, not required) at the Facebook link below. If you’re interested in a one-on-one business, call or text 406.449.6008 to schedule an afternoon meeting.
These events are open to anyone hosting an event they want to bring closer to ZERO Waste. This includes your company bbq, upcoming wedding, or kids birthday party!
Follow events on Facebook:
Real Food Market Meet & Greet
https://www.facebook.com/events/491098632756192?ref=newsfeed
Ten Mile Community Happy Hour
https://www.facebook.com/events/1481491785579420/?ref=newsfeed
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 29th, is our next collection day! Please place your bucket/bin outside in the usual location by 9 a.m. For most of you, the collection is near your front door. In City limits, please avoid the street, sidewalk, and boulevard. When placing your bin outside, please make sure the lid is secure.
If you are unable to place your bucket outside, please let us know by email or send a text message to 406.449.6008 on the day of collection. If you will be on vacation, please let us know.
For those using the exchange sites at the Good Samaritan Thrift Store or Real Food Market, please put the date and your initials on your full bucket. A dry-erase marker is available. Full buckets should go on lower rows with empty buckets available on the upper shelves.
Upcoming Collection Dates
- Tuesday, March 29th
- Tuesday, April 12th
Tomorrow, Tuesday, March 15th, is our next collection day! Please place your bucket/bin outside in the usual location by 9 a.m. For most of you, the collection is near your front door. In City limits, please avoid the street, sidewalk, and boulevard. When placing your bin outside, please make sure the lid is secure.
If you are unable to place your bucket outside, please let us know by email or send a text message to 406.449.6008 on the day of collection. If you will be on vacation, please let us know.
For those of you using the 406 Compost exchange site, please put the date and your initials on your full bucket. A dry-erase marker is available. Full buckets should go on lower rows with empty buckets available on the upper shelves.
Upcoming Collection Dates
• Tuesday, March 29th
• Tuesday, April 12th
Seasonal Extras
Spring begins Sunday, March 20th! If you’re getting a head start on your cleaning and yard work we have ecofriendly collection bags for yard waste. Send an email or text message and one will be dropped off with your bucket.
Friday, March 4th, 406 Recycling & Compost, YES Compost, and EcoMontana provided Zero Waste collection for the Montana Conservation Voters event held at the Holter Museum of Art. YES Compost provided bins, 406 completed setup and collection, and EcoMontana provided plastic free, compostable dishware. Overall, the diversion from the landfill was a great success!
Compostable material – 20lbs/50.63%
Recycling (cans, plastic glass) – 16.5lbs/41.77%
Trash – 3lbs/7.59%
Zero Waste services are a great chance to become part of the solution. Services such as those provided by 406 Recycling & Compost, YES Compost, and EcoMontana are available to those throughout the state. Whether it’s a music festival, community event, or wedding, we’ll work with you to make your event a Zero Waste Success.
406 Compost is excited to celebrate its second National Recycle Day! The EPA estimated that in the United States in 2018, more food was sent to landfills than any other single material in our everyday trash*. Since starting in 2020, it’s been the goal of 406 Compost to divert this waste to a more fruitful end. By working with YES Compost of Belgrade, waste from 406 Compost customers has gone to feed YES’s worms to create organic fertilizer and vermiculite.
This Friday, November 19th, as part of the Good Samaritan e-waste collection, people can sign up for the bi-weekly collection and get their buckets the same day. We also deliver buckets throughout the week to new customers, provide weekly service for businesses, and yard waste collection options.
Contact us today to see how we can help you offset food waste at your home or business!
The following letter by one of our long-time customers is spot on in encouraging a reasonable, direct legislative fix well within the purview of the Helena City Commission!
City of Helena -- ADMINISTRATIVE MEETING -- July 7, 2021 - 4:00 PM
Zoom Online Meeting: https://zoom.us/j/95717490589
https://helena.novusagenda.com/agendapublic/MeetingView.aspx?MeetingID=410&MinutesMeetingID=-1&doctype=Agenda
Contact Mayor and Commission:
mayorandcommission@helenamt.gov
Hello all, and Happy 4th!
If you are so inclined, please drop a note – before the July 7 Admin meeting – to the Commissioners asking for their support of an amendment to the City Code allowing for private businesses to compost our food and yard waste within the City limits. My note is below. If you have already written, please share with others so we have examples of what to say.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Denise Roth Barber
Date: Mon, Jul 5, 2021 at 11:23 AM
Subject: Amendment to City Code 6-1-18
To: <mayorandcommission@helenamt.gov>
Dear Mayor and members of the Commission,
In light of the City's recent action taken to notify a few private businesses about the City's prohibition of curbside collection of food and yard debris within the City limits, I (as a private citizen, not on behalf of any group) would like to ask the Commission to amend the ordinance to allow for private businesses to continue diverting valuable materials from the waste stream.
An exemption to the City Code could be as simple as this:
6-1-18: The exclusivity in City Code 6-1-17 does not apply to individuals, firms, or companies providing residential curbside collection of food scraps and yard debris for composting services.
The City currently does not offer food waste composting services in any form, nor does it offer yard waste curbside pickup (for composting). While the City does compost yard waste that has been dropped off at the Transfer Station, most of that waste is used as an alternative cover at the landfill, rather than turned into a valuable, marketable product. Thus, the private companies are providing both a very valuable service to City residents not otherwise available AND helping the City move closer to its goal of 50% waste reduction by 2040.
While the City will be considering its entire waste operations during the development of the Master Plan next year, it will be more than a year before the plan is implemented; therefore, a change to the code is the most timely, efficient response that would allow for the private businesses to be in compliance while providing valuable resource diversion services.
Thank you for your service and for your consideration of this request.
Best,
Denise Barber
Lovin’ Montana Clean-Up
Join Helena Parks and Rec, 406 Recycling, and Miss Mermaid Montana 2021 Faith Conaway in making Helena beautiful for summer!
June 26 and 27th we will be focusing on Centennial Park and Custer Ave areas to clean-up our city!
We will have trash bags and recycle bins available at Centennial Park by the flag (there will be a sign), and Cooney/Custer intersection next to the golf course. Thank you 406 Recycling for making the option to recycle possible for this event!
We will have some helpers sorting out recyclables! Leave bags where you fill them up at Centennial Park and along the paved trail along Custer Ave. They will be picked up curtesy of Helena Parks and Rec!
Together we can make Helena beautiful and protect our wild and scenic areas!
***To win our giveaway****
✨Winnings will be 4 prizes. One from 1889 Coffee House, The Base Camp, Dream Upon a Princess LLC, and Great Northern Carousel!
All you have to do:
📸 Snap a picture of you and/or your friends cleaning up and post them to our event page or email them to dreamuponaprincess6@gmail.com
We will announce the winners and contact them the following week!
