Jacksonville, Florida, pilots compost, food waste program

The city of Jacksonville, Florida, has approved a “Food Waste Diversion (Composting) Pilot Program” to enable food-based businesses to compost food in partnership with the city and Sunshine Organics & Compost LLC.

Under the terms of legislation passed in January creating the pilot program, the Jacksonville composter will collect $50 monthly for each bin of compostable materials businesses or organizations has the firm collect.

The one exception to that is the Duval County Public Schools, which will not be charged for the service.

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Sunshine Organics Compost creates compost and topsoil from compostable materials. It also sells mulch and biochar derived from yard waste.

“We’re grateful to the city of Jacksonville for supporting this pilot program, which we ultimately hope to refine and expand citywide,” Sunshine Organics and Compost Owner Mike Kelcourse says. “Industrial composting is a viable option for lowering greenhouse emissions by reducing organic waste that goes to landfills and avoiding new landfill construction. But it can only reach its full potential through local support and the proper infrastructure to grow.”

City Council recognizes the burden food waste places on landfills, which it hopes to lighten with this program, and it also says in the adopted ordinance that the pilot program should save money for local food-based businesses by reducing hauling fees.

The pilot program will continue through Aug. 15 after which the city’s solid waste officials will compile a report reviewing the program.

“In the event the pilot program is not extended, or a permanent composting program is not established by Council on or before Oct. 1 … 50 percent of the monies held in the [Food Waste Diversion Special Revenue Fund] will be remitted to Sunshine Organics & Compost LLC,” says the legislation.

The program is aimed at local restaurants, farmers markets, county schools and other “food-based businesses,” according to the ordinance.

Bainbridge, Georgia-based Danimer Scientific, which provides industrial compostable solutions among other services, congratulated the city and Sunshine Organics on the partnership in a news release.

“We commend the city of Jacksonville for initiating this pilot program,” Danimer Scientific CEO Stephen Croskrey says. “As our society transitions from petroleum-based plastics to biobased alternatives, companies like Sunshine Organics & Compost will enable us to compost these products and greatly increase organic recycling rates in cities like Jacksonville. We hope this program will be the start of a larger citywide initiative that serves as a model for other communities across the region, and we challenge governments across the country to continue incentivizing the use of compostable bioplastics, which can make the impact of composting programs even more substantial.”

Almost all of northeast Florida’s food waste currently goes to landfills, representing between 20 and 40 percent of total municipal solid waste, says Danimer Scientific. When organic waste breaks down in this type of environment, it creates methane gases that pose a risk of fire and can contribute to global climate change. In contrast, industrial composting provides a way to process food waste, yard waste and other organic residues in an environmentally sustainable manner, potentially extending the life of landfills by decades.