Resolution 2022-32349 RESOLUTION NO. 2022-32349
A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF
THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, URGING MIAMI-DADE
COUNTY TO ESTABLISH A LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL
COMPOSTING FACILITY DESIGNED TO HANDLE A HIGH
VOLUME OF ORGANIC WASTE GENERATED BY BUSINESSES
AND RESTAURANTS, AND CREATE A CURBSIDE COMPOST
PICKUP PROGRAM TO FACILITATE AND ENCOURAGE
COMPOSTING.
WHEREAS, on March 31, 2022, the City's Sustainability Advisory Committee passed a
unanimous motion requesting that the Mayor and City Commission encourage Miami-Dade
County to establish a commercial composting facility and a curbside compost pickup program
for residents and businesses; and
WHEREAS, composting is the natural process of taking organic materials such as food
scraps including vegetables, fruits and grains, under controlled conditions and turning them into
a soil amendment called compost; and
WHEREAS, the benefits of composting include reducing the amount of food waste that
is landfilled, reducing greenhouse gas ("GHG") emissions, and creating nutrient-rich compost
which improves soil health and can help to reduce water required for irrigation; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to reduce our community's carbon emissions, the City has
completed an annual citywide and government operations GHG emissions inventory, and has
implemented programs and policies that contribute to GHG emissions reductions; and
WHEREAS, the City's annual GHG inventory demonstrates that the majority of
emissions community-wide and in government operations can be categorized in three main
sources: energy use, transportation and solid waste generation; and
WHEREAS, food scraps and yard waste currently make up about 20 — 30% of landfilled
waste across the country; and
WHEREAS, the City opened the North Beach Composting Hub, located at 85th Street
and Collins Avenue, to provide residents the opportunity to drop off their food waste to be
composted; and
WHEREAS, in addition, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden operates a community
composting program where residents can drop off their food waste to be composted; and
WHEREAS, while residents take advantage of the available composing sites in the City,
these community composting programs at the North Beach Composting Hub and the Miami
Beach Botanical Garden do not have the capacity to accept larger volumes of food scraps from
businesses; and
WHEREAS, Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management provides
waste collection and recycling services to unincorporated Miami-Dade County and several cities
within Miami-Dade County; however, the County does not currently own or operate any large-
scale, commercial composting facilities; and
•
WHEREAS, as a community acutely exposed to the effects of climate change, Miami-
Dade County and its residents would greatly benefit from an industrial size, large-scale
composting facility designed to handle a high volume of organic waste generated by businesses
and restaurants; and
WHEREAS, additionally, establishing a curbside compost pickup program would
encourage and motivate more residents and businesses to compost their food waste.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT DULY RESOLVED BY THE MAYOR AND CITY
COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, that the Mayor and City
Commission hereby urge Miami-Dade County to establish a large-scale commercial composting
facility designed to handle a high volume of organic waste generated by businesses and
restaurants, and create a curbside compost pickup program to facilitate and encourage
composting.
PASSED AND ADOPTED this .2f day of October, 2022.
12-zi----___
ATTEST:
OCT 2 7 2022 Dan Gelber, Mayor
Rafael 721Granado, City Clerk '''` \P;e !. �
(Sponsored by Vice-Mayor Alex J. Fernandez) EaooRPo�AtEo,0
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''a, C;i i...........APPROVED AS TO
FORM &LANGUAGE
&FOR EXECUTION
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City Attomey Date
Resolutions -C7 F
MIAMI BEACH
COMMISSION MEMORANDUM
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Commission
FROM: Alina T. Hudak, City Manager
DATE: October 26, 2022
SUBJECT:A RESOLUTION OF THE MAYOR AND CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY
OF MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, URGING MIAMI-DADE COUNTY TO
ESTABLISH A LARGE-SCALE COMMERCIAL COMPOSTING FACILITY
DESIGNED TO HANDLE A HIGH VOLUME OF ORGANIC WASTE
GENERATED BY BUSINESSES AND RESTAURANTS, AND CREATE A
CURBSIDE COMPOST PICKUP PROGRAM TO FACILITATE AND
ENCOURAGE COMPOSTING.
RECOMMENDATION
The Administration recommends the adoption of the Resolution.
BACKGROUND/HISTORY
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.
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. The item is sponsored by Vice Mayor Alex
Fernandez and Commissioner David Richardson.
ANALYSIS
Commercial composting facilities are large-scale facilities that can accept large volumes of food
waste and/or other organic materials, such as landscaping waste, to compost. Composting is
the natural process of taking organic materials, under controlled conditions,and turning them into
a soil amendment called compost. There are currently no commercial composting facilities in
the South Florida region: Composting is an important strategy to divert food waste from the
waste stream, reduce the city's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, and support climate action
goals. It would be beneficial for Miami-Dade County to plan for the establishment of a
commercial composting facility with curbside pickup for residents and businesses. Additionally,
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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.
In Miami Beach,there are several options for residents interested in composting. Residents can
drop off food waste to be composted at two locations: Miami Beach Botanical Garden and the
North Beach Composting Hub. Between 2016 and 2021, the Miami Beach Botanical Garden
community compost hub has diverted about 175,000 pounds of food waste from the waste
stream. These composting hubs do not accept food waste from businesses.
In addition, the City of Miami Beach and Miami-Dade County have held workshops with
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (UF/IFAS) to teach interested
community members how to compost at home and provide a voucher for a free backyard
compost bin. As part of the 2022 Miami Beach Rising Above grant, Surfrider, a non-profit
organization, received a grant to implement a backyard composting program. The advertising for
and distribution of composting bins for backyard composting will begin soon and will include
community outreach and educational resources.
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, the GHG emissions
community wide 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.
Miami-Dade County Department of Solid Waste Management provides waste collection and
recycling services to unincorporated Miami-Dade County and several cities across the county.
Several cities, including Miami Beach, have inter-local agreements with Miami-Dade County for
curbside recycling services. The County owns and operates three landfills and three Regional
Transfer Stations for waste disposal, along with one Resources Recovery Facility which
produces waste-to-energy that is exported to the electric grid. The County is the entity with the
jurisdiction to establish and operate a commercial composting facility; it does not currently own
or operate a commercial compost facility.
Commercial composting facilities, also called industrial composting, are large-scale composting
facilities which are designed to accept and manage a large volume of organic waste. There are
several processes that can be utilized in commercial comporting including windrows, in-vessel,
aerated static pile composting. All commercial composting processes reach required
temperatures to destroy any pathogens.
Windows: open-air process where organic waste is piled into long rows and is regularly
watered and turned to aerate the pile.
In-vessel: process that takes place in an enclosed environment where organic waste is
deposited into a vessel and conditions such as temperature, airflow, and moisture can be
controlled.
- Aerated static pile: organic waste is mixed and piled with materials such as woodchips and
newspapers on top of pipes which aerates the pile.
The size requirements for a commercial composting facility can vary depending on the number
and type of participants, volume of waste to be serviced, and composting method.
Currently, there are a few smaller scale composting programs available in the region where
vendors are paid to receive or pick up food waste for composting. For example, food scraps
can be dropped off at Verde Market locations for $3 per drop off, and weekly or biweekly
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pickups can be requested through Compost for Life for $29.99/month or $19.99/month
respectively. Compost for Life also provides service to businesses and special events which
includes cart to collect food scraps.
SUPPORTING SURVEY DATA
Less than half of Miami Beach residents are satisfied with the City's efforts to be a green or
sustainable city. Supporting Miami-Dade County to build a commercial composting facility can
help to increasing satisfaction.
FINANCIAL INFORMATION
N/A
CONCLUSION
The Administration recommends the adoption of the Resolution.
Applicable Area
Citywide
Is this a"Residents Right Does this item utilize G.O.
to Know" item.pursuant to Bond Funds?
City Code Section 2-14?
Yes No
Legislative Trackina
Environment and Sustainability
Sponsor
Vice-Mayor Alex Fernandez and Commissioner David Richardson
ATTACHMENTS:
Description
o Resolution
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