SOILMILL PGH AWARD

The city was awarded a grant of $250-thousand dollars to build upon the success of the SoilMill PGH pilot program.  The composting program is designed to enhance existing infrastructure and to increase access to composting for residents. The award was made possible by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the American Beverage Foundation for a Healthy America. 

“What we've learned from SoilMill PGH is that there's no one size fits all solution to managing organics.  We recognize this comes down to more than just managing waste, as implementing composting is an exercise in behavioral science,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “Our community is interested in finding a better solution to managing, not just organic waste, but all waste. We want to do the right things to improve the health of our environment and clean up our communities. We're committed to ending food insecurity for one of most vulnerable population.” 

Currently, through the SoilMill PGH program the City is examining what method works best for various households to create policies and infrastructure to support them. Doing so assists with the city in addressing issues related to odor, storage containers, placement, cost considerations and guidelines.  

The SoilMill PGH pilot program was birthed in response to the community outcry for developing a municipally recognized composting system.  The project was led by the Department of City Planning, Department of Public Works, and Citiparks in an effort to examine how we can reduce organic waste and improve soil quality in Pittsburgh through composting.  

The grant will allow the city through the SoilMill PGH Pilot program to further investigate establishing and fortifying drop-off composting infrastructure to support not only Pittsburgh but the Greater Pittsburgh region.