Chattanooga is expanding a curbside pickup pilot program for glass and food waste to areas in Missionary Ridge, Highland Park and Ridgedale, according to a press release.
Originally confined to two zones in Brainerd and Belvoir, the pilot program began in October. To participate, residents can sign up with one or both of the contractors the city hired for the job: Overlooked Materials for glass recycling and NewTerra for composting.
If a home isn’t eligible for curbside services, residents can also sign up with NewTerra to drop off food waste at city recycling centers. Glass can also be dropped off through city recycling centers, no sign-up required.
“What began as a pilot program to divert food and glass waste from the landfill servicing a small test area in Brainerd is eyeing to become a city-wide movement,” the release said.
Upon sign-up, Overlooked Materials will send a bin to residents and collect glass monthly. The Chattanooga-based company started in 2021. It sends the glass it collects to its processing plant within city limits, where it’s ground into sand that can be used for construction materials. It also recently began a Styrofoam collection service, though that is not part of the city’s program.
Glass was welcome in city recycling bins up until 2018, when officials said they’d no longer take it because broken glass in the bins was difficult to sort out and contaminated other materials.
NewTerra will also send a bucket to residents who sign up and collect food waste weekly. The company is headquartered in Dade County and serves the Chattanooga area. The company was previously involved in the city’s Startup Week fair in 2021, when it was granted funding for curbside food waste pickup for 100 households.
NewTerra processes food waste at its own facility, turning it into soil that’s redistributed to its customers, or sold. Sometimes the company will donate the soil to community gardens. NewTerra is still trying to iron out the details of how much it will give to those signed up for the pilot program, but the company’s co-founder, Normand Lavoie, has said he’s hoping to deliver at least some soil to participating residents.
(READ MORE: Chattanooga’s glass recycling, compost pilot program begins)
Curbside pickup services typically cost $30 a month at NewTerra and $15 a month at Overlooked Materials. Through this pilot, the services are free to residents.
The program will cost the city about $250,000 to run for nine months, according to contract records. Part of the funding for the composting pilot will come from the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation through a matching grant: $105,000 from the state and $105,333 from the city. The glass recycling pilot, with a price tag of $45,000, will only come from the city’s coffers.
The program is expected to run until the end of June 2026, when city officials will review the successes and drawbacks and decide whether to continue it.
— Compiled by Siena Duncan.