At Christ & St. Luke’s, we are a community that seeks to connect tradition with progress and faith with action. One of the most tangible ways we are living out our mission is through our commitment to environmental stewardship and our partnership with Tidewater Compost.
You can find out more about our program and how it works by watching this video.
Caring for the environment is deeply tied to our spiritual identity. It is part of our Baptismal Covenant to take care of God’s creation. Composting is a small but significant act that reduces the amount of waste sent to landfills — waste that would otherwise create methane — and instead returns nutrients to the soil.
By participating in this program, we are moving beyond icky stigmas often associated with composting to embrace a clean, professional method. Our kiosk alone has already helped divert over 1,000 pounds of organic waste from landfills.
If you have tried composting in your backyard before, you might have found it difficult to manage or limited in what you could include. Because Tidewater Compost uses industrial processors that reach high thermophilic temperatures, they can accept items that would typically ruin a backyard pile. These include:
- Meat, bones, and dairy
- Seafood and seafood shells
- Greasy pizza boxes and soiled paper products like napkins
- Compostable service ware
This capability allows most composters to reduce their household trash by up to 50% or more. Plus, every six months you get a five-gallon bag of compost back from Tidewater to spread on your garden!
How You Can Participate
We have designed this program to be as simple as possible for our congregation. There are two primary ways to join:
1. The On-Site Drop-Off Kiosk ($10/month). Located right here at the church this designated side of the kiosk is specifically for Christ & St. Luke’s members. Once you sign up, you receive a special code to unlock the kiosk door. You simply dump your compostables into the internal bin. Every week, Tidewater Compost services the kiosk, swapping out containers for fresh, clean ones with new liners.
2. Doorstep Residential Service ($20–$28/month) For those who prefer the convenience of home pickup, Tidewater offers weekly or bi-weekly doorstep service. It couldn’t be easier: You fill a small bin under your sink, move it to a larger bin outside, and Tidewater swaps it for a clean one on your scheduled day. Members get a personalized data portal featuring real-time environmental impact reports, which clearly indicate the number of pounds of waste diverted. We also include it in our church impact. Because of our partnership, congregation members receive discounted pricing. To ensure you receive this rate:
- Visit www.tidewatercompost.com.
- Choose either “Drop-off” or “Residential” service.
- Crucial Step: In the “How Did You Hear About Us” field, you must select “Christ & St. Luke’s Episcopal Church”. Note: For doorstep service, this field appears at the final step after entering payment info. Prices are adjusted manually by Tidewater Compost after they confirm your affiliation.
- Detailed instructions for how to navigate the Tidewater Compost website are here if you’d find them helpful.
Our goal is to be a catalyst for change in Hampton Roads. By diving into composting, we aren’t just managing our trash; we are participating in a spiritual rhythm of renewal—returning nutrients to the earth to help gardens thrive and ensure a better world for future generations.
We invite you to join us in this simple, profound act of stewardship.
If you’re thinking about the environment in the context of your faith, you might like to explore some other recent posts at Christ & St. Luke’s:
