STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Yampa Valley Sustainability Council and a graduate student from Western Colorado University are seeking households and industrial, commercial and institutional facilities like schools, restaurants, hotels and medical facilities within Routt County to participate in a food waste composition study.

Household participants are asked to track their food waste for one week between Jan. 13 and Feb. 3. Each residential participant will receive a City Market gift card.

Trash samples will be collected from businesses and sorted and weighed off site. All business participants will receive customized food waste reduction recommendations, which if implemented can leads to cost savings.

The goal of this study is to understand and measure how much and what types of food are being wasted in Routt County. This information will be used as baseline data and will guide recommendations on the feasibility of an industrial compost facility.

For more information about the study or to sign up as a participant, visit YVSC.org/foodwastestudy or contact Cameron Poole at Cameron.Poole@western.edu.