(WASHINGTON, DC) – The Department of Public Works (DPW) released the District’s Compost Feasibility Study today along with an accompanying letter from DPW Director Christopher J. Shorter, outlining steps the District will take to advance composting in the District and the Washington metropolitan region.

Conducted by Resource Recycling Systems, the study: provides an overview of compost initiatives already underway in the District; estimates the volume of food and yard waste generated in the District by sector; and, assesses the feasibility of the District implementing a food and yard waste curbside collection program.

“To meet the goal of diverting 80 percent of the waste generated in the District from landfills and waste-to-energy, the District will need to implement innovative programs,” said Director Shorter. “This report proposes one such program, detailing the benefits, costs, and steps to implement a composting program for DPW-serviced residents; as well as opportunities for food and yard waste diversion in the commercial sector.”

The accompanying letter from Director Shorter commits to advancing food and yard waste diversion in the District through continued support and investment in:

• Food and yard waste prevention campaigns, such as the Department of Public Work’s grasscycling campaign launched this spring;
• The community composting collaborative led by the Department of Parks and Recreation;
• Public school cafeteria composting programs led by DC Public Schools and the Department of General Services; and,
• The Food Waste Drop-Off Program led by the Department of Public Works.

The Compost Feasibility Study is the first of three studies that will inform the development of a Zero Waste Plan to achieve 80 percent waste diversion District-wide. To provide an opportunity for the public to learn more about the results of this study and to provide feedback to inform the development of the District’s zero waste plan, DPW will offer the two webinars and host an evening presentation of the findings.

The full report, the letter from Director Shorter, and details about upcoming presentations can be found here: Compost Feasibility Study (https://dpw.dc.gov/compostfeasibilitystudy)