Hillsboro Curbside Food Composting Could Begin In 2020

From the City of Hillsboro: When the bananas go bad, or when the bread gets moldy: Most people throw their food scraps in the trash, where they end up in a landfill.

Beginning in 2020, Hillsboro residents may have another option: Curbside food composting.
Many Hillsboro businesses and schools compost food already. Under a proposal to be considered by the City Council at Tuesday’s meeting, Hillsboro residents would be able to combine food scraps and yard debris into one curbside bin — at home, every other week.

Why compost?

When food decomposes in a landfill, it produces harmful greenhouse gases, including methane — one of the worst contributors to climate change. Properly composted food scraps become a useful and nutrient-rich material that helps the soil in gardens, earning the nickname “Black Gold” from gardeners.

If approved by the Council, yard debris mixed with food scraps would be composted in North Plains at Nature’s Needs. In doing so, Hillsboro would join neighbors with food composting programs in Beaverton, Forest Grove, and Portland.

Composting for 49 cents

The food composting proposal would increase rates by 1.9 percent, or 49 cents per month for most customers, beginning on August 1, 2019. Food composting service would begin in 2020, but the program requires up-front funding to make capital investments in equipment needed for service delivery.

During a work session in early June, the Council declined to pursue a second option that would have offered food composting every week. That more frequent service proposal would have raised garbage and recycling rates by $4.45 per month for most customers.
Hillsboro currently has the fifth-lowest rates for garbage and recycling services, among 14 cities and counties in the metro area.

Learn more about the City's garbage and recycling program.