Town hears early results from curbside compost pilot: 232 signups, 12 tons diverted so far
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Summary
Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District reported 232 Bristol households have signed up for the curbside compost pilot (of 500 spots), diverting 12 tons since Sept. 18 and estimating $750 saved in tipping fees to date; survey respondents strongly favor continuing municipal support.
The Town Council received an early progress report on Bristol’s curbside compost pilot, which launched Sept. 18 under a two‑year pilot managed by the Eastern Rhode Island Conservation District.
Program coordinator (Selbyasecki) said the pilot has 232 participants of 500 available spots and that the contractor (Black Earth Compost) serviced 2,570 bins with very little contamination. The town has diverted about 12 tons of food waste from the landfill since the program began. Using the town’s municipal tipping fee of $63 per ton, the presenter estimated about $750 in avoided tipping fees to date. A participant survey (105 responses) showed 50% learned something new and 98% of respondents want the town to continue municipal support after the pilot.
The coordinator emphasized statewide context: Rhode Island has a single landfill projected to reach capacity around 2046, which would force waste shipping out of state and create major costs. The presenter said municipal composting can extend landfill life and reduce future shipping costs.
The council voted to receive and file the report and discussed outreach steps to expand participation (school programs, mailers, community events). Town staff will coordinate outreach to reach more eligible households.