At the Sustainability Committee on March 31, 2022, the Committee passed a motion urging the City to signal its support to Miami-Dade County for the construction of a commercial composting facility and furthermore, the development of a curbside compost pickup program for residents and businesses.

On May 4, 2022, the Mayor and City Commission referred this discussion to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee. The item was sponsored by Commissioner Samuelian. The item is now sponsored by Vice Mayor Fernandez.

On September 28, 2022, the Land Use and Sustainability Committee passed a motion supporting a resolution urging Miami-Dade County to establish a commercial composting facility with curbside pickup for residents and businesses.

On October 26, 2022, the Mayor and City Commission adopted Resolution No. 2022-32349, urging Miami-Dade County to establish a commercial composting facility with curbside pickup for residents and businesses.

On October 26, 2022, the Mayor and City Commission referred a discussion on the addition of a composting site in mid-beach which incorporates the recommendation of the Sustainability Committee to the Finance and Economic Resilience Committee. The item is sponsored by Commissioner David Richardson.

Food scraps and yard waste currently make up 20-30% of what is disposed of in landfills. This equates to approximately 35 million tons of food per year. Once in the landfill, the nutrients in the scraps are lost, taking up space and contributing to greenhouse gas emissions in the form of methane. In addition to promoting waste reduction, communities can help combat this issue through the establishment of composting programs. Composting is the method of taking organic materials such as leaves, vegetables, and food scraps and turning them into a rich soil mixture (compost) using four basic ingredients: nitrogen, carbon, water, and air. Diverting food scrap waste into a regenerative system can improve the health of the soil and provide multiple community benefits through a closed loop system.

The City of Miami Beach has established a climate action goal of achieving net-zero GHG emissions by 2050. Based on its annual GHG emissions inventory, with a baseline of 2014, the GHG emissions communitywide and in government operations can be categorized in three main sources: energy use, transportation, and solid waste generation. Composting is a significant strategy for reducing waste sent to the landfill and lowering emissions from solid waste generation. Additionally, composting provides many benefits including the production of a nutrient-rich soil amendment which helps to reduce irrigation requirements and provides an alternative to fertilizer use.

Composting programs vary in size depending on the number of people or households that can be serviced and the amount of food waste that can be processed. Most cities begin their composting programs within their community gardens or other community centers and either increase the size of the area or locate supplemental space as demand increases. The participants can compost their own yard trimmings and food scraps and excess compost is given away or donated to other locations where it can be used.

There are currently two locations in Miami Beach where residents can drop off their compostable waste: Miami Beach Botanical Garden and the North Beach Composting Hub. In April 2016, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden established its own composting program for residents and since then has diverted more than 175,000 pounds of waste. The program is managed by the Garden and two staff members spend 10-20 hours per week adding material to the pile or processing finished material. Volunteers are also welcomed to help turn and manage the compost piles. The final compost product is either used within the garden and/or provided to the families that participate.  The North Beach Composting Hub, located on the corner of 85^th Street and Collins Avenue, was launched in 2020.

In 2019, the Mayor and City Commission adopted Resolution 2019-3091, approving the seventh amendment to the capital budget for FY 2018/2019. This amendment included granting $75,000 to begin a pilot community composting program in North Beach at 85^th Street and Collins Avenue. The City has since executed a Professional Services Agreement each year with the Miami Beach Botanical Garden to manage the North Beach Composting Hub. $50,000 is funded through the existing operating budget under the Environment & Sustainability Department for the management and operation of the North Beach Composting Hub for calendar year 2022. Funding has been identified to ensure the continuation of the program.

As the interest in the community composting program expands, there is an opportunity to expand the program and provide access to the Mid Beach community. To open a successful community composting hub in Mid Beach, an appropriate location has been researched to meet the following requirements.

•             Area of about 750-1,000 square feet

•             Access for a dump truck to be able to drop off mulch

•             Easy access to the public

•             Similar size to North Beach Compost Hub or slightly smaller

•             Access to potable water

•             Access to electric plug nearby

•            Space to hold community workshops, preferably inside the area to be fenced in

Based on these minimum conditions, the following locations were identified with the Parks and Parking Departments as possible locations for a Mid Beach composting hub.

·   40^th Street Parking Lot: on the corner of 40^th Street and Chase Avenue

·   42^nd Street Parking Lot: across the street from North Beach Elementary

·   Indian Beach Park: the greenspace areas closer to Collins Avenue

The proposed locations each offer different benefits and potential disadvantages.

Depending on the site selected, one or two parking spaces would be reserved at dedicated times for the delivery of mulch for the composting piles; there would be no dedicated parking. In addition, bicycle racks would be installed nearby to encourage residents to ride their bicycles to drop off their food waste at the composting hub.