Cedar Grove’s Compost Days Celebrates Long History of Puget Sound Region Composting

Cedar Grove is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its annual Compost Days by thanking King and Snohomish county residents for composting millions of tons of material over the last decade, keeping food and yard debris from landfills.

During this year’s Compost Days, which runs through April 22, residents get deep discounts on compost and other soil products at Cedar Grove locations and through participating retail partners, including Fred Meyer, Dunn Lumber and Sky Nursery. In one of the most popular deals, customers get one free bag of Cedar Grove compost by buying any two bags of any Cedar Grove soil.

Residents can learn more about Compost Days and download coupons by visiting www.compostdays.com.

Since Compost Days started in 2008, it’s estimated that King, Snohomish and Pierce County residents have composted more than 3.5 million tons of yard and food scraps.

“Compost Days is Cedar Grove’s thank you to the residents of the Puget Sound region for so diligently recycling their yard and food scraps, making our region a national leader in composting,” said Karen Dawson, director of marketing and community relations for Cedar Grove. “By leaving their compostable material at the curb, Puget Sound residents prevent those materials from ending up in landfills and ensure the material is instead manufactured locally into nutritious soils.”

To add to the celebration, Cedar Grove is hosting a volunteer event and donating a truckload of compost at Maple Valley’s Elk Run Farm, which grows food exclusively for 12 South King County food banks. Just last year, Elk Run Farm – operated by the South King County Food Coalition – donated nearly 3,000 pounds of fruit, vegetables and herbs to the local food banks.

The volunteer event at Elk Run Farm, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 14, will include work on the farm, such as wheelbarrowing and spreading compost, weeding, moving tarps and transplanting veggie starts that students at Tahoma High School across the street started in the farm’s greenhouse earlier this year. Elk Run Farm is located at 22500 S.E. 275th Place in Maple Valley.  

Anyone is welcome to volunteer, including children and high school students looking for community service hours. The media is also invited to the event.  If you’d like to volunteer, contact Karen Dawson atkarend@cgcompost.com. 

Elk Run Farm is located on a former golf course and is surrounded by land under development.

“We are proud to support one of the remaining farms in King County, and one that provides fresh and locally grown food and vegetables for South King County families,” Dawson said.