Ron Neumond Austin Resource Recovery Austin, Texas

1. Austin Resource Recovery
Home Composting Rebate Program
July, 2018
Austin Resource Recovery
Home Composting Rebate Program July, 2018

2. Zero Waste in Austin
2
Reality: 42%

3. ARR Services
All services are bundled
• Curbside Single Stream Recycling (Bi-weekly)
• Curbside Compost (Weekly)
• Trash (Weekly)
• Yard trimmings (Weekly)
• Large Brush (2x/yr.)
• Bulk items (2x/yr.)
• Street sweeping
• Hazardous waste
& more!

4. ARR Services
$42.85* $24.30* $19.15* $17.90*
*Includes a base fee of $14.05
All residents in Austin pay an additional $8.95 Clean Community Fee (monthly)
for services that help keep Austin clean and enhances the livability of our
neighborhoods and downtown.
Costs are based on trash cart size and reflect a per-gallon approach.

5. Description:
The program offers customers who pay the Clean Community Fee and participate in a free
education class, a rebate on the cost of a new home composting system and/or accessories
or a chicken coop.
One $75 rebate
per household.
Home Composting Rebate Program:
Overview

6. Beginning on April 22, 2010 - Earth Day,
we launched The Green30 Challenge.
A pilot program that challenged Austinites to:
1. Downsize to a 30-gallon green garbage cart
2. Take a free, basic backyard composting class
3. Purchase a home composting system, receive a rebate,
and start composting!
In 2015, we removed the reduced Cart requirement to:
• increase (potential) rebates for everyone in Austin -
including multi-family residents!
• Increase diversion of compostables from the landfill.
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Home Composting Rebate
Program: Overview – A (Short) History

7. In 2017 – Chickens!
In Austin, there are roughly 3,100 homes with Chickens (Approx. 24,000 chickens cooped up in Austin)
• An est. 2 Million lbs. of food diversion by chickens. = 1,008 tons/yr. (Already occurring!)
• In the existing curbside composting pilot program, an avg. 1,237 tons were diverted
• In one year chickens can divert as much as the program had in 5 yrs. (1:5 ratio)
Why?  Because there’s more chickens!
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1 HOUSEHOLD COMPOSTING DIVERTS AS MUCH
AS 3.3 CHICKENS EATING FOOD SCRAPS!
Home Composting Rebate Program:
Overview – A (Short) History

8. Compost and Chicken classes are held monthly at various locations around
Austin. Venues include:
We offer “Classes by Request” and
“Community Led Classes.
Requests are made via website or telephone.
We also offer the composting class in
an online / video format.
A chicken class video is under consideration!
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Home Composting Rebate Program:
Free Community Education Classes
• Farmers Markets
• Libraries
• Local retailers / partners
• Community Gardens
• Festivals

9. Classes are currently promoted on the following:
• Our website & City Events pages
• Social Media: Facebook, Nextdoor
• Local Newspaper: The Austin Chronicle
• Local Newsletter: Austin EcoNetwork
• & Community Events
We often “pair” the classes, holding
one composting class with a chicken keeping
class on the same day.
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Home Composting Rebate Program:
Free Community Education Classes & Promotion

10. 10
Home Composting Rebate Program:
Benefits to the Community
To date: 14,803 people have attended a composting
and/or chicken keeping class.
 FY17 Attendance: 2,241
o 1,982 for Composting and
o 259 for Chicken Keeping
• 5,140 Rebates issued
 FY17 included 538 rebates –
 528 for Composting and 10 for Chicken Keeping
Overall participation rate: 34.7% of attendees apply for and receive a rebate
 FY17 Goal: 30%
 Actual: 28% // Compost 32% Chickens: 4%
719
1912
2818
1837 1844
2424
2008
2241
286
602
841 723 678 643 729 638
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
PROGRAM PARTICIPATION
Attendees Rebates
What do the attendees think?
96% of class attendees rate classes as Very or Extremely Informative
94% rate the Instructors as Excellent or Very Good.

11. 11
Home Composting Rebate Program:
Performance
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
18-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+ n/a
CLASS ATTENDANCE - AGE
chicken compost Grand total
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Male Female N/A
CLASS ATTENDANCE - GENDER
Chicken Compost Grand Total
66% of the attendees at chicken
classes are Female
57% of attendees at compost
classes are also Female.
• Over ½ of attendees at both
types of classes are <44 yrs. old
• Over ¼ of attendees are 55+

12. 12
Home Composting Rebate Program:
By the Numbers
$1,700 for
Instructors
$4,900
Equipment
Rentals
$5,000
Advertising
$36,500
Rebates
$5,400
Materials,
misc.
$10,800
Printing /
Postage
$28.75 cost
per
participant
35 CLASSES
INCLUDING
24 COMPOST
& 11 CHICKEN
KEEPING
Over 80% of
participants plan to
apply for a rebate
120 HOURS
OF
OUTREACH
&
EDUCATION
Nearly 40% of
attendees are
already composting
and 20% already
have chickens
2,241
PEOPLE
RECEIVED
EDUCATION
297
KITCHEN
COMPOST
COLLECTORS
GIVEN
AWAY

13. 13
Home Composting Rebate Program:
Performance Observations
Composting
• Online composting video views have increased by 15%.
• Interest remains high in “Learning” about composting.
Chicken Keeping
• Despite significant interest in Chicken Keeping, (currently) only 4% apply for a rebate.
• In-person chicken keeping class attendance has remained very competitive.
• Interest remains high in “Learning” about chicken keeping.

14. 14
Home Composting Rebate Program:
Considerations for Next Steps
ARR Staff continues to research methods of increasing rebate participation
rates. E.g.-
 Research impacts of Curbside Composting on Home Composting
 Research chicken rebate participation rate
 Increased outreach to MF properties for Composting Classes & Rebates
• Insert into existing curriculum “how to compost in small spaces” which includes types of
composters and accessories.

15. THANK YOU!
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For information, please contact:
Ron Neumond
Ronald.Neumond@AustinTexas.gov
817.888.5954