Woman freezes food scraps in her garage, then drops them at a town compost bin with a free perk

A woman's simple freezer trick turned kitchen scraps into something far more useful than landfill waste.

In a TikTok that caught viewers' attention, she showed how her town's composting program works — and revealed a free perk for residents that comes from the process.

What happened?

Shannon (@shanwicki) shared what her first food-scrap drop-off looked like. Before she brought the compostables to a town collection bin, she said she kept it in her garage freezer "so they don't stink up our house."

@shanwicki Do you have a city compost program? I think it's so cool! #compost #recycle #gogreen #composting #momlife ♬ original sound - shannon | camping with kids

She said residents can bring scraps to any of four locations. The compost station she filmed featured a chart showing what is and isn't accepted, and bags were available for people who needed them.

"They've been doing this program for six months, and so far they've composted 13,000 pounds of food scraps," Shannon said. She added that the goal was "to keep food out of the landfill and to turn it into compost that we can use instead of just rotting in the landfill." 

She added that the composted organic matter that comes from the scraps — often referred to as "black gold" by gardeners — can be picked up by anyone in town to use at home, saying, "Unless I'm mistaken, anyone within the city limits can go to the landfill and pick up free compost." TCD verified that this is indeed the case in Brookings, South Dakota. 

Why does it matter?

Food waste is a major landfill problem because scraps do not simply disappear once they are thrown away. When organic material breaks down in landfills, it can release planet-warming gases while wasting nutrients that could otherwise be returned to soil.

Programs such as this can make composting much more practical for people who do not have backyard space, do not want a mess, or simply are not sure how to get started. Shannon's freezer method also offers a relatable fix for one of the biggest concerns people have about composting: smell.

"We have curbside pickup for our compost. They also take diapers and pet waste in that as well," one person wrote. Another added, "In Ontario, Canada, we have weekly compost pickup with garbage and recycling pickup and have a limit of two garbage bags every two weeks to incentivize composting and recycling."

What can I do?

For people looking for a simple, no-smell option, Shannon's method is to keep food scraps in the freezer and take them to a designated compost bin once enough have built up.

If a town does not have a public drop-off system, it may still offer curbside yard waste or organics collection through its sanitation service. City websites or waste department pages can list accepted materials and whether composting — or that valuable result — is available for residents.

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