Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** through the composting and food…

Awards issued prior to january 20, 2025, were funded under previous administrations and may not reflect the priorities and policies of the current administration.** through the composting and food waste reduction cooperative agreement the city of orlando willdevelop an off-grid solar-powered community compost and education center. The facility will be locatedat south street farm (626 west south street orlando FL 32805) an urban farm located in the parramore neighborhood of orlando and operated by the city of orlando's office of sustainability resilience and future-ready. Located in the historically african american neighborhood of orlando south street farm serves as an educational urban farm which provides fresh produce that is distributed to community residents to improve food security and nutrition. The USDA composting and food waste reduction grant will fund the purchase installation and staffing of a solar-powered static aerated composting facility which will allow for the composting of food wastewithout the odors and pests that traditional compost methods may attract. The facility will collect and harvest rainwater to supply water to the facility. This pilot program will serve as a proof of concept that the city intends to scale to other neighborhoods in orlando to process food waste on a hyper-local basis reducing hauling distances. Community outreach and engagement activities will be conductedto identify the location for a second facility and to purchase install and staff a second facility in the second year of the project.a sustainability project coordinator will be hired to ensure that food waste is not contaminated by non-organic matter; to encourage adoption of composting; to respond to community members' questions and feedback; to locate satellite drop-off locations within thecommunity; to plan the second installation; and to operate the facilities. The project entails significant neighborhood outreach with the support of trusted partners and community organizations within the 32805 ZIP code including hebni nutrition parramore district and the desire foundation. Partners will contribute food waste host satellite food waste collection bins educate residents on the benefits of composting use finished compost and convey community feedback about the project. This builds upon community engagement that has already taken place under the leadership of district 5 and 6 city commissioners.finished compost from the facility will be offered free of charge to residents in the 32805 ZIP code and districts 5 and 6 for use in home gardens. Any leftover compost will be used for the mcquigg urban farm and south street farm two city-owned operations. Mcquigg farm offers community garden space to twenty households in the 32805 ZIP code.