Overview
The overall purpose of this pilot is to provide households with the opportunity to choose among multiple free ways to divert food waste from the landfill, as well as providing an educational and experiential opportunity for Orange County residents to learn about the benefits of and opportunities to contribute to waste diversion and composting.
This pilot program initiative aligns with Goal 15 of Orange County’s Sustainability Operations and Resilience Action Plan (SORAP), which aims to reduce per-customer landfill disposal tonnage by 15%. One key strategy for achieving this goal is the diversion of organic waste from the landfill, where it is estimated to comprise approximately 10% of total waste.
What is composting?
Composting is the process of using natural decay to transform organic material like food scraps, yard waste, etc. into a dark brown, crumbly, porous, soil-like material. This substance, called compost, can improve biological, chemical, and physical characteristics of soil. The addition of compost to soil can help improve moisture retention, increase soil aeration, and reduce the potential for soil erosion and flooding.
Who can participate?
Orange County Solid Waste Customers
At this time, only residents who pay for Orange County curbside collection service may join the pilot (your household would have carts labeled "Orange County" with green and blue lids for garbage and recycling, respectively.) Due to limited funding for this pilot program, participation will be available until all resources have been allocated. Once capacity is reached, we will no longer be able to accept new participants. Any additional interest survey submissions will be placed on a waitlist and may be considered if additional funding opportunities become available.
Participant Educational Requirements
To participate in this composting pilot program, residents will be required to attend, either in-person or virtually, an educational composting workshop taught by the County Cooperative Extension Office (University of Florida - IFAS) to learn about the process and benefits of composting. After completing an interest survey (see below – How Do Residents Sign Up?), Orange County staff will email eligible residents a link to sign up for one of these workshops.
Not sure if you pay for Orange County Solid Waste curbside collection service?
Enter your address here to check! Follow the instructions to see your curbside collection schedule. If a result is produced with your correct property and owner information, your property would qualify for inclusion in this pilot. If it shows “No results found.” your property is likely ineligible to participate.
If you don’t qualify to participate in the pilot, check the resources here for additional ways to compost and contribute to food waste diversion:
Additional Resources