BEAUFORT COUNTY- ORGANICS DIVERSION PILOT PROGRAM

The program's goals are to increase education efforts regarding organic waste reduction and diversion, increase compost program participation, reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with organic waste landfill disposal, and increase compost accessibility to local agricultural producers. Additional goals and objectives are identified below:Goal 1: Implement Public Education/Community Outreach ProgramObjective 1- Target Historically Underserved CommunitiesSt. Helena is one of the County's 13 census tracts identified as disadvantaged. St. Helena is ranked over the 90thpercentile for expected agricultural loss. This Project would directly benefit these communities by increasing soil health, crop production, and water quality through the application of compost. It would also divert methane emissions associated with the disposal of organic waste.Objective 2 - Create a Comprehensive Outreach Program and MaterialsThe County will develop a comprehensive outreach program to support this pilot project. Namely, it will create a composting mascot and generate and distribute educational materials (e.g., pamphlets, videos, posters, signage, etc.).Goal 2: Collaborate with County StakeholdersObjective 3: Formalize Partnerships with County StakeholdersThe County has reached out to its local stakeholders to identify possible partners for this pilot project. Thus far, the following partners have shown interest and are committed to supporting this Project's success:Daly Organics - A composting company located in Beaufort County will be the lead compost processor of the County's collected organic waste.Smart Recycling- An organics and food waste hauling company will assist with the curbside organics collection programs.HDR Engineering, Inc. - An engineering firm acting as the County's Solid Waste Management Consultant will perform the Pilot Project Study.Objective 4: Execute Composting ContractThrough its partnership with Daly Organics, the County will execute a composting contract for Daly Organics to process the collected organics. The County may execute multiple contracts for composting processing and other services to meet the needs and goals of this Project.Objective 5: Implement Organics Collection in SchoolsThis pilot project will involve creating a school-focused outreach program complete with education materials and organics recycling containers to support organics diversion from the solid waste stream.Objective 6: Implement Green Business ProgramThrough the new Green Business Program, businesses that recycle plastic and glass and divert their food waste will be awarded the honor of being a certified Beaufort County Green Business.Goal 3: Develop Organic Waste Collection Infrastructure and ProgramsObjective 7: Distribute Residential Compost BinsThe County will provide residents with kitchen countertop bins to collect their organic waste. Initially, residents will be able to bring this material to the Collection Centers for composting. The second phase of the Project will deploy a curbside organics collection program in hopes of increasing participation.Objective 8: Construct Organics Recycling Bins at Collection CentersThis Project will purchase commercial dumpsters to collect organic materials at the Collection Centers and then transport them to an off-site composter.Objective 9: Implement Curbside Residential Organics Collection ProgramsThe second phase of this Project will implement a curbside residential organics collection program.Goal 4: Monitor Program ProgressObjective 10: Collect and track diverted organic materials tonnage dataAs part of the collection and hauling activities, the County will measure the quantity of organic materials collected and diverted from landfill disposal.Objective 11: Collect and track compost production cubic yard dataThrough its partners, the County will be able to record the amount of compost product produced as a result of this pilot project.Objective 12: Report compost use quantity and locationThis pilot project will prioritize compost products being used by agricultural producers such as farms and community gardens. The Project will track and monitor the end-use destination, quantity, and frequency of delivery of the compost product.Objective 13: Quantity compost application benefitsThroughout the duration of the pilot project, the County will coordinate with the end users to better understand the benefits of compost application.Goal 5: Increase Compost Application for Agricultural ProducersObjective 14: Develop an Effective Compost Marketing CampaignTo target agricultural producers, particularly within St. Helena and other disadvantaged communities, the County and through its partners will advertise the sale of compost and compost giveaway events. This will be tracked by the number of agricultural producers contacted.