Goal number eighteen in the Louisville Metro Government Mayor’s Strategic Plan is “Increase diversion of solid waste generated by Jefferson County sent to local landfills from 49% in 2012 to 90% by 2042 at a rate of 7% every five years.” In order to educate the general public about this plan and encourage solid waste diversion, The Jefferson County Horticulture Agent partnered with Louisville MetroGoverment’s Division of Solid Waste Educator to host two composting workshops in residential areas of Louisville that have high volumes of solid waste disposal, as recorded by the Division of Solid Waste.

Each workshop lasted 1.5 hours and combined educational instruction on waste stream reduction and Louiville’s city initiatives with the science behind composting and live demonstrations of how to compost. Participants also had the option to purchase a composter from Metro Solid Waste or could attend the programs free of charge.

A total of 45 participants attended the two composting workshops. 30% of the attendants self-reported that they already had a home compost system and the remaining 70% did not currently compost but were interested in starting. As a result of the class, 31 participants purchased a home compost container from Louisville Metro Solid Waste.

The visibility from this program has led to two speaking engagements for the Horticulture Agent and three additional compost-specific educational sessions delivered by the SoildWaste Management Educator.