After years of studying and discussing the idea of launching a curbside composting program, D.C. officials finally began rolling out a pilot program this month. Roughly 9,000 households will be participating — they’ll get food scraps picked up once a week, and a bag of finished compost at the end of the program. The pilot program was initially supposed to start in the spring. DPW began enrolling residents in April, and sent welcome packets to households that were selected in June. In late July, DPW officials told households they were aiming to launch the program by late August. At the end of last month, DPW announced the program would launch on a rolling basis, ward by ward, reaching all participants by the end of September.
Part of the delay, officials say, was getting a contract approved. DPW did not sign a contract with the companies that will do the food scrap collection until July “We would have hoped to have a contract awarded sooner, but we are where we’re at and we’re working really hard to meet our goals,” says Rachael Manning, zero waste program analyst with DPW.
Manning says truck driver shortages have also delayed delivery of supplies needed for the program. Each household in the program will receive a 5-gallon bucket with a screw-on lid, a kitchen food scrap tote, and a package of compostable bags. Manning says the rolling launch will allow the program to get started as materials arrive, rather than delaying the entire program until everything is ready.