County of Santa Cruz Home Composting Program

Overview and Scope of Work:  Home Composting Workshops (4 per year), Composting Information booths (25 per year), Master Composter Training Program (Jan-March), Manage the Rotline, Develop independent County of Santa Cruz Home Composting Website, and Translate County composting resources to Spanish.

Target Audience(s): Primary Target Audience:  Waste Management (WM) customers who have the opportunity to reduce their waste stream through composting incentives sponsored by the County of Santa Cruz (ie:  Free Compost/Worm bin in exchange for yard waste cart, reduced prices on bins, free composting workshops and MC training program, information, and troubleshooting services via the Rotline).

Secondary Target Audience:  All persons residing in Santa Cruz County with an interest in home-scale conversion of food and yard “waste” into a beneficial soil amendment.

Funders: County of Santa Cruz

Funding Level: $38,715

Program Partners:  County of Santa Cruz, Waste Management. Activities of Co. of SC home composting program are limited to the unincorporated area of the county including Aptos, Bonny Doon, San Lorenzo Valley, Live Oak, Soquel, and South County.

Timeline: Annual fiscal year project.

Staff Members Working on Project: Sherry Lee Bryan, Project Manager; Victor Aguiar, BWR Program Director, Master Composter volunteers

Desired Behavior Changes: Diversion of organic (compostable) waste materials away from County landfill at point of origin. Utilization of composting incentive programs from local municipalities. 

Desired Outcomes of Program:  Extend the life of the Buena Vista landfill in accordance with AB 239. (Counties must achieve 50% diversion of waste stream by 2000). Reduce dependence on NPK fertilizers which have the potential to cause stress or mortality in endangered (and other) species inhabiting county waterways.

Increased public awareness of composting resources available.

Results: A total of 3 Workshops have been conducted thus far with two more scheduled for March and April of 2004. Ten Information booths were coordinated and attended last fall at Cabrilllo, Felton, and Live Oak farmers markets.  Fifteen more will be scheduled from March-June, 2004. Thirty MC volunteers have been recruited and are currently being trained for the Class of 2004. The Rotline is currently responding to 15-20 composting information requests per month. The Home Composting Independent Website is scheduled for completion at the beginning of the event season of 2004 (mid-March).