Austin Announces New Rules for Multifamily Composting (MFC)
CALLING ALL MULTIFAMILY PROPERTIES
Apartments, Condos, Dorms, Assisted Living & Retirement Communities
ARE YOU PREPARED FOR AUSTIN’S 2024 COMPOSTING RULES?
Starting in 2024, multifamily housing with five or more units will be required* to provide commercial composting services to tenants and employees.
The City of Austin is making big strides towards a greener future as evidenced by the new Multifamily Composting Rules recently adopted into the City’s Universal Recycling Ordinance.
In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about the new multifamily composting rules in Austin, and how Break it Down can simplify these new regulations for you, while turning your community into a sustainability champion!
Austin’s Commitment to Zero Waste
Austin’s multifamily composting ordinance is part of a broader initiative to achieve zero waste by 2040.
We applaud the city’s dedication to sustainability and its commitment to fostering a culture of responsible waste management. From food permitted businesses, to single family residential, and now for multifamily housing, Austin has us all pitching in to divert as much waste as possible from piling up in a landfill – waste that clearly has a lot of life left to live!
By October 1, 2024, all multifamily communities with more than five units are required to implement composting programs for their tenants and staff. Our graphic below helps to break down the requirements, and shows how Break it Down works to simplify the ordinance for your community!
The Zero Waste Business Rebate
To incentivize communities to start sooner, the City of Austin has expanded their Zero Waste Business Incentives & Rebates program offering up to $3,000 in rebates, potentially covering up to 12 months of commercial composting services, compostable bags and bins for your community for eligible multifamily communities. Our goal is to help you get started sooner and avoid waiting til the last minute to implement a program adhering to the city’s ordinance.
Taking advantage of these rebates is a no-brainer!
Break it Down expertise
We’ve been a proud leader of composting & recycling services in Austin for over a decade, serving more than 700 businesses, including over 40 multifamily communities! One thing we’ve learned about multifamily housing complexes is that no single multifamily community is alike. We pride ourselves in offering tailored solutions to each community, to ensure they get the most out of their composting program.
Meeting Diverse Community Needs
Break it Down understands that different multifamily communities have unique composting challenges. Whether you’re managing a compact high-rise condo or a sprawling apartment complex, we have tailored solutions to ensure that your tenants can easily participate in composting, allowing your community to contribute in a big way.
Our approach includes offering a wide variety of compost bin types and sizes and, in many cases, securing bins with combination locks at shared waste areas. These locks ensure that access is intentional, preventing unnecessary contamination that can compromise the composting process. With bins swapped at each pick up, there is no need to worry about stinky smells!
Innovative Sustainability
At Break it Down, we’re about so much more than just composting. Our commitment to sustainability goes far beyond turning scraps into soil. We’re hard at work exploring ways to upcycle waste into valuable products, such as specialized pet feed and targeted fertilizers. Additionally, we’re working on various cutting edge projects involving turning certain organic waste into a means of water filtration, helping communities around the world access clean drinking water.
Education and Support
To reduce contamination and encourage adoption of composting initiatives, we offer free educational resources with our services, including videos, bilingual signage, and in-person training in English and Spanish. We strongly advocate that informed individuals are empowered to make a much bigger difference in their communities.
In conclusion, Austin’s new multifamily composting ordinance is a significant step towards a greener future. Break it Down is here to simplify compliance, offer innovative solutions, and help your community become a positive force for sustainability. By working together, we can contribute to Austin’s goal of achieving zero waste by 2040 and create a cleaner, more sustainable future for all.
Where does it all come from?
Right here in Austin & surrounding areas! We’ve fostered long standing relationships with many of Austin’s local favorites, from the juiciest Juiceland juicery to the mouthwatering kingdom of Ramen Tatsu-Ya, as well as local mushroom, worm, and cattle farms – we’re in cahoots with your business neighbors big and small to create something truly special (and more importantly, truly useful!) from your leftover spaghetti, bones, human hair, and even the mulch from fallen branches in your neighborhood!
We’re super proud of our team, our vision & accomplishments, and the truth is, we’re just getting warmed up.
