Nashville to pilot curbside compost collection

The city of Nashville, Tennessee, is planning to start a curbside composting program in October, reports WTVF NewsChannel 5 reports.

Metro-Nashville Zero Waste Program Director Jenn Harrman tells the station that 750 households will be able to take part in the pilot program beginning in October.

The program is free to residents, who would need to collect their food scraps and other compostable materials throughout the week and place it in a curbside bin.

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The city also is offering a variety of incentives to encourage participation. In addition to helping make Nashville a more sustainable and resilient city for future generations, everyone that participates in the pilot will receive a year of curbside compost collection (valued over $450). Participants that complete the year-long pilot will also receive a free bag of compost, a Zero Waste Nashville gift, and a chance to win one of 100 additional prizes, including gift cards, T-shirts and more.

Approximately a third of what Nashville residents throw away as trash is food scraps and other organic materials that could be composted. When landfilled, wasted food, food scraps and other organic materials create methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which the city says accounts for about 20 percent of global emissions. Unlike landfilling, composting uses the natural decomposition process to return the nutrients in food and organic material back to the earth and create healthier soils, says the city.

The city plans to select a diverse group of households to participate that reflects the community. In addition to putting their compostable materials on the curb, the city asks residents to offer feedback in a quarterly form and participate in a focus group during or shortly after the pilot program.

The says adopting curbside composting is part of its plan to reduce landfill waste by 90 percent.

For additional information, contact the city at zerowaste@nashville.gov.