Arlington residents have answered the call to feed the green machines deployed to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper to divert them from trash bins. To date, more than 11,000 pounds of food waste has been collected since the launch of the Solid Waste Bureau鈥檚 pilot program in early July, which seeks to expand the County鈥檚 ability to compost food scraps and prevent waste.
Average weekly collection rates for the composting machines have totaled 1,000 pounds of food scraps and food-soiled paper since July 8, 2024, leading to more than 4,000 pounds per month collected on average, according to data from the Solid Waste Bureau. This pilot is in addition to the County鈥檚 food scraps collection program launched in 2021 for residential curbside collection customers.
There are 14 food scraps collection bins across parts of Arlington with a high concentration of multifamily buildings, which to date have been opened more than 4,000 times by around 800 unique program participants. As of September 2024, the top-five bin locations with the most pounds of food scraps collected are: Aurora Highlands Library, Clarendon Boulevard and North Pierce Street (Rosslyn), Quincy Park, Wilson Boulevard and North Quincy Street (Ballston) and Wilson Boulevard and North Pierce Street (Rosslyn).
The pilot program helps divert food waste from landfill and incineration to turn food scraps into nutrient-rich compost that can be used to create healthy soils. These efforts help advance the County toward its established 90% waste diversion goal detailed in the County鈥檚 recently approved Solid Waste Management Plan/Zero Waste Plan, which details other initiatives that support Arlington鈥檚 broader sustainability vision.