Three restaurants in Bend's Old Mill District have been turning their scraps into compost for a local farm that sells its wares at local farmers markets.

The program has been growing over the past year, and the Old Mill hopes to expand the number of participating businesses next year.

Currently, Cafe Yumm!, Pastini Pasteria and Strictly Organic Coffee Co. are participating. Employees put food waste and coffee grounds into 5-gallon buckets, and empty the buckets into a larger bin by the recycling and trash receptacles. Twice a week, someone from Bend’s Fields Farm picks up the material and takes it back to the farm where it is composted and turned into a fertilizer, which helps grow the vegetables sold at local farmers markets.

Because so much material is composted, [Cafe Yumm!] has to have a garbage pickup only once a week, instead of two or three times, [co-owner and general manager of the restaurant Karli Foster] said.

Read more at the Register-Guard.