Pittsburgh City Council

City looks to keep more compostables out of the landfills.

Written by Amy Whipple

The Department of City Planning (DCP) is trying to divert the compost the city currently sends to landfills over to a composting program in order to create richer soil.

DCP, the Department of Public Works and Citiparks will soon dig into phase two of SoilMill PGH, a community composting pilot program. It seeks to improve soil quality in Pittsburgh through composting.

A 2022 waste characterization study determined that food scraps, yard waste, and other organics comprised 24-28% of Allegheny County’s municipal solid waste.

Flore Marion, assistant director of sustainability and resilience, said 300 city residents participated in SoilMill PGH’s first phase. “People are really eager to do composting, but we cannot afford to do pick up at every single home,” she said.

The department’s phase two plan will include finding feasible collection solutions, potentially including resident-requested curbside pickup, farmers market drop-offs or a dedicated year-round drop-off site. It will also update the city’s 2017 Zero Waste Plan. The initiative seeks to divert 90% of waste from landfills or incineration by 2030.

DCP requested council approval for a $125,000 agreement with the county’s Congress of Neighboring Communities (CONNECT). The money is CONNECT’s half of a joint 2024 US Conference of Mayors prize. The organization will use the money to perform similar work to what SoilMill PGH does in neighboring municipalities.

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