At-Large Position 5
Composting
2024 Food Waste Drop-off Program
The City of Houston Solid Waste Management Department, in collaboration with Council Member Sallie Alcorn and Zero Waste Houston, has closed the six-week Food Waste Drop-Off pilot program. Between January 22 and February 29, residents had the opportunity to drop off food scraps at four locations. Through this initiative, 262 residents participated and over 9,800 pounds of food waste was diverted from the landfill. We are grateful for the participation and look forward to expanding these efforts.
2022 and 2023 Pumpkin Drop-off Program
The Solid Waste Management Department and my office held a pumpkin drop-off from November 1, 2022 to November 4, 2022 at the City of Houston Reuse Warehouse. During that four-day period, we diverted nearly 10,000 pounds of pumpkins from the landfill.
We repeated the program in 2023, accepting drop-offs from November 1 to November 8. 14,000 pounds were collected, increasing total collected pumpkins by 40%.
2021 Composting Drop-off Pilot Program
The City of Houston ran its first composting pilot program from October 20, 2021 to November 27, 2021. A huge thank you goes to all our wonderful participants and partners. With their help, the three drop-off locations - Kashmere Multi-Service Center, Heights Historic Fire Station, and the Houston Botanic Garden – diverted a total of 14,551 pounds from the landfill (over 7 tons!) This program would not have been possible without our composting partners, Zero Waste Houston and Moonshot Compost, who graciously donated their time and services to the city at no cost. I'm also grateful for the enthusiastic work of all our partners: Mayor Sylvester Turner, Council Member Tarsha Jackson, Council Member Abbie Kamin, Council Member Robert Gallegos, the Solid Waste Management Department, Houston Health Department, Houston Botanic Garden, Houston Heights Association, Urban Harvest, the Mayor's Office of Sustainability, and Houston Complete Communities.
Why compost?
The Climate Action Plan’s waste management goals include “strengthening and supporting efforts to collect and compost food organics.”
According to the U.S Environmental Protection Agency, in the United States, food is the single largest category of material placed in municipal landfills, where it emits methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the United States, accounting for approximately 14.1 percent of these emissions in 2017.
The methane emissions from municipal landfills in 2019 were approximately equivalent to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from more than 21.6 million passenger vehicles driven for one year or the CO2 emissions from nearly 12 million homes’ energy use for one year.
Houston residents, businesses and institutions generate approximately 6.2 million tons of municipal solid waste per year.
Beyond reducing waste, using compost enhances rainfall penetration, which reduces water runoff and soil erosion. This in turn reduces sediment, nutrients, and pesticide losses to streams by 75-95 percent. Compost also improves the soil and enhances beneficial microbes that help reduce plant diseases and pests, per the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Composting Companies in Houston
Moonshot CompostWebsite: www.moonshotcompost.com Curbside: Yes, they offer weekly curbside service on a weekly basis for $29 per month. Customers can request an unlimited number of skips for a $5 refund. Free compost is proivded to subscribers twice per year, in the spring and fall. Drop-Off: Yes, drop-off services are available for for $10 per month. Information about drop-off locations are available on their website. 
Zero Waste HoustonWebsite: www.zerowastehoustontx.com Curbside: Yes
Curb to CompostWebsite: curbtocompost.com Curbside: Yes
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Happy Earth CompostWebsite: happyearthcompost.com Yes, they offer multiple levels of service. The base service is $25/month. For weekly pickup, the cost is $35/month. Drop-Off: Yes, they offer a drop off program where customers can come to the farmers markets and participating Whole Foods and drop off their buckets for $5. Locations vary each week. 
Karma PharmaWebsite: Karmapharmatx.com Curbside: Yes
Drop-Off: Yes, you may bring a 5-gallon residential bucket for $10 per month to the below locations:
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If your company is interested in being added to this list, please email atlarge5@houstontx.gov. |