AUSTIN, Texas - Approximately 55,000 households will be added to the City of Austin's Curbside Composting Collection Program starting in February.
Austin Resource Recovery announced the additions as part of the fourth and final expansion of the program, which currently serves about 152,000 homes. ARR has been expanding the service through a four-year phased-in approach that started in 2017, says the city.
"We are very excited to complete the expansion of our Curbside Composting program," said Austin Resource Recovery Director Ken Snipes in a release. "Keeping compostable items out of area landfills will extend the life of the landfills, improve Austin's air quality, and reduce harmful greenhouse gases."
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Approximately 55,000 households will be added to the City of Austin's Curbside Composting Collection Program starting in February.
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This year, in order to adhere to COVID-19 safety regulations, ARR will hold a virtual townhall giving new curbside composting customers the opportunity to learn about the program, learn how to use the service, and receive free resources to start composting and will delay the opportunity to distribute free kitchen collectors and compostable bags until it can be done safely for both customers and staff.
The city says that a recent study showed that nearly half of material residential customers send to the landfill is compostable. The curbside composting program collects food scraps, yard trimmings and food-soiled paper, and converts them into nutrient-rich compost. This program is part of the City of Austin’s Zero Waste goal to divert 90 percent of materials from landfills by 2040.
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Customers included in this year’s Curbside Composting expansion were mailed a notification postcard in early January informing them of their new service and inviting them to participate in a virtual townhall in late January. Customers can search for their addresses using the Austin Recycles app and My Schedule tool online to see when their first collection will be.
The city says Curbside Composting may also help Austinites save money on their utility bill as customers will likely have less trash each week after putting food scraps and food-soiled paper in their green carts. This may allow them to downsize to a smaller, less expensive trash cart.
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For more information about Curbside Composting, how to participate in the virtual townhall, resources and instructional videos, click here.
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