The fact that Mehuron's has joined with Highfields Center for Composting may not seem like it's is such big news - but it is.

Mehuron's and the 1824 House Barn Door Restaurant are working with Highfields Center for Composting and the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District to collect food waste and scraps for compost.

Mehuron's is collecting food waste and unsellable (and past date) foods and the Barn Door Restaurant is likewise collecting and separating compostable foods for collection. The collected food wastes will be composted in Moretown by the GROW Compost Company.

This is important for several reasons. First, it removes the amount of food waste that will go into landfills and decompose, releasing greenhouse gas emissions. This saves landfill space and life spans and - locally - prolongs the amount of time Moretown will receive tipping fees from the local landfill.

Second, rather than filling up landfills, this food waste will be turned into locally sourced and produced compost that can be added to area gardens and farm rows to enhance food production.

Third, and perhaps most significant, programs such as this recognize the interconnectedness of those who eat, sell, grow and purchase the food. It's the same circle and we are all somewhere on it whether we are shopping at Mehuron's, planting our garden with locally produced compost or eating dinner at a restaurant that buys its produce locally and recycles its compostable materials locally.

What is going on locally is a small version of what is happening on a larger scale in other parts of the country. Some metropolitan areas in the Northwest have begun municipal composting programs, requiring residents to separate food waste from recyclable materials and other non-recyclable trash. The right to collect the food waste and turn it into compost (black gold) is sold to contractors who are able to parlay that into revenue.

One good start to closing the loop of the rampant, reckless wastefulness that has characterized American consumerism and consumptionism might be to start with food waste.

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