Title
Gainesville Multifamily Pilot Composting Grant Application (B)
Explanation
This item is a request for the City Commission to authorize community builders to submit a grant application to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA)-Natural Resources Conservation Service Community Compost and Food Waste Reduction (CCFWR) Project Grant. The CCFWR Grant award is estimated to be in an amount of up to $90,000 and this award would be used toward the implementation of a two-year pilot composting program in multifamily communities.
The City applied for this grant last year and was awarded funding for a single family home pilot program using community composter Beaten Path Compost to collect and process food waste within the program area.
The City has adopted a goal of Zero Waste by 2040 and the Zero Waste Subcommittee has made diverting food waste a priority. Landfilled organic material contributes significantly to the production of methane gas, which is about 30 times more potent than carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas.
Specifically, the pilot program would evaluate the feasibility of providing door side collection of food waste at participating multifamily locations serving approximately 200 units. The City Commission will soon consider a mandatory food waste ordinance and pilot programs such as this will provide information to community builders, multifamily property managers, and the compost industry on the viability of this innovative program.
Strategic Connection
This item addresses Commission Goal 2: Sustainable Community and is a high priority item, as well as, Goal 4: Resilient Local Economy and is a normal priority
Fiscal Note
The CCFWR Grant requires the City of Gainesville to provide a 25% match. The City’s match source has been identified in the Solid Waste Fund and will require up to $30,000 over a two-year period.
Recommendation
The City Commission: authorize the City Manager or designee to execute the grant ap...
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