A Carmel Climate Action Advisory Committee meeting on Nov. 25 reviewed a proposed pilot to reduce the cost of a curbside in‑home composting subscription for city residents.

Speaker 6, who presented the proposal, said Earth Mama offered a verbal agreement to provide city residents a $5 monthly discount on a $20 subscription and that the city would supply marketing support. “They will issue the City Of Carmel residents a $5 a month discount off of their what is currently $20 monthly fee,” the presenter said.

Committee members agreed to track program uptake and metrics. The presenter said Earth Mama would provide subscriber counts and pounds of waste diverted; the committee plans to monitor that data and revisit the program’s status after about a year. “They will be providing those metrics on number of subscribers, pounds of waste diverted,” the presenter said.

Beyond the pilot, staff discussed complementary programs. The committee reviewed a backyard-compost voucher item listed as SW4 in its strategy dashboard; the chair proposed marking that strategy “in progress” as organizers gather data and subscriber metrics. Members suggested pairing outreach with utility-bill communications to explain benefits and cost tradeoffs to residents.

Funding and feasibility were a recurring theme. The presenter noted a $10,000 allotment from Republic Services exists for public education and outreach but that contract language limits how that money can be used. He said internal street-department estimates to run leaf collection and processing in-house would require substantial capital and labor: “they’re looking at over hun over $1,000,000 in equipment... Over 240,000 a year in labor for 12 people... and up to a $120,000 a year in truck maintenance,” the presenter said.

Committee members flagged grant opportunities. The presenter mentioned a so‑called “Bridal grant” with awards ranging from $1,000 to $100,000 and possible federal grant opportunities for 2027. Members asked staff to continue outreach to Republic Services, explore grant options, and coordinate with schools about reviving prior composting programs.

The committee did not take a formal vote on the pilot at the meeting; members agreed to continue developing the program details and to track uptake and diversion metrics.