Tampa Solid Waste Department Launches Backyard Composting Program

TAMPA, FL — The City of Tampa has launched a pilot backyard composting program for single-family home residents.

Approximately half of Tampa’s single-family residential waste stream is composed of potentially compostable material. This program will empower residents to repurpose select kitchen scraps and yard waste into nutrient-rich compost to use at home.

Tampa’s Solid Waste & Environmental Program Management Department will offer backyard composting bins at no additional cost to 500 single-family residential collection customers during this pilot program. All current city of Tampa Solid Waste customers in single-family homes with a yard are eligible and are encouraged to register online here for a virtual composting workshop. Completion of the workshop is required to receive a composting bin and kitchen-scraps bucket.

The workshop is facilitated by the UF/IFAS Extension, providing insight into composting best practices and how to use them when complete. Residents can also refer to the Backyard Composting Guide, found on the city's website, to learn more or expand their composting knowledge.

Courtesy of City of Tampa

Program participation is limited and will be on a first-come, first-served basis upon completion of the workshop. Bins will be delivered by the department within 10 business days following course completion and the waiver form signed.

“I’m really looking forward to diversifying our waste reduction program while educating our ratepayers on the environmental benefits of effective composting. The initiation of the Backyard Composting Program illustrates our commitment toward sustainability and the application of best practices in the solid waste management industry” said Director Mark Wilfalk.

The department is conducting a composition study of recyclables collected from residents and businesses in the city. The study will sort materials collected into several categories, with the highest focus on the category of contamination.

Contamination is the improper placement of items that are not accepted in Tampa’s recycling program. Contamination causes many issues and ultimately ends up creating the need to use additional resources, which is the opposite of the recycling concept, which is to reduce resource intake and reuse through recycling.

Courtesy of the City of Tampa

From a previous composition study, only about 63 percent of what is placed in recycling bins in Tampa is recyclable. The remaining 37 percent is contamination.

This study will shed light on the errors residents and businesses are making most when trying to recycle, providing an opportunity for education and outreach.

Starting Dec. 7, the “Feet on the Street” campaign will offer personalized feedback to Tampa residents about what should and should not be in their curbside recycling cart. This pilot cart-tagging recycling education campaign can help reduce contamination and support sustainability.

“Many residents unintentionally contaminate recycling loads, making the material garbage instead of recycling. For the sustainability of the city’s recycling programs, which are costly, and to make a difference in our environment, recycling right is critical," Wilfalk said. "Through this pilot program, we are providing our customers with customized information on how they can improve the quality of Tampa’s recycling material."

Residents will receive a mailer prior to the launch of the program as a reminder of what and how to place items in their curbside containers, such as no plastic bags, batteries, styrofoamand electronicsi. Many of these materials create hazards for recycling facility workers.

Click here to learn more.