Agromin helps put municipal compost program in place

The Environmental Sustainability Division of the city of Ventura, California, has worked with Oxnard, California-based Agromin to launch a new compost and mulch giveaway program.

The program, which Agromin says is the first of its kind in California, has been designed to support the city’s compliance with state requirements for organics recycling by providing free compost and mulch to Ventura residents to use for gardening and landscaping.

Agromin says the Free Compost and Mulch Program aligns with California Senate Bill (SB) 1383, which sets a goal of diverting 75 percent of organic waste from landfills by 2025.

The law, designed to address landfills as a producer of greenhouse gases, requires jurisdictions to divert and prepare recovered organic material such as mulch and compost for their own use or to give away. The organic material diverted can include residential and commercial food scraps, yard waste and land-clearing debris.

“What makes this program unique is that city of Ventura residents can order compost and mulch for pick up or delivery through an Agromin online portal,” Agromin CEO Bill Camarillo says.

“Agromin compiles ordering tracking data and provides regular reports to the city, which in turn, can report the compliance numbers to the state. Ventura is a leader in complying with SB 1383 procurement requirements, and in the big picture, it’s part of the solution to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that enter the atmosphere.”

Agromin works with jurisdictions throughout the state to support the fulfillment of SB 1383 procurement needs.

Once diverted organic waste is turned into compost and mulch, the material is used on public and private landscapes and farms.