Georgia composting pilot reports success

Officials from Athens-Clarke County (ACC) and the University of Georgia (UGA) have announced the successful completion of a composting pilot program and a desire to continue with community-wide efforts in 2025, Flagpole reports.

The UGA New Materials Institute partnered with the ACC Solid Waste Department to test a composting pickup program in the Normaltown, Boulevard and Cobbham neighborhoods in Georgia. About 400 of 2,200 households in the area participated in the free program, which started in February and ended in early May.

“We continued to get inquiries after the registration deadline, so there’s a lot of interest out there,” ACC Waste Reduction Administrator Joe Dunlop says. “The reactions were overwhelmingly positive.”

RELATED: New Orleans receives funding to increase composting capacity

The program collected 19 tons of compostable material, mostly food scraps and some paper products, and diverted it away from the landfill, preventing the equivalent of 17 tons of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere, according to the report.

Each household paid $29.25 per month for pickup. Options for funding permanent compost pickup include property taxes or landfill tipping fees. According to survey results, most respondents said they were open to either, however they preferred paying via property tax.

Dunlop says the goal is to create a permanent program starting in July 2026, with city pickup as well as drop-off sites and private services outside the city center. In the meantime, six drop-off sites are available for local residents.