It all began with a survey. 

Maybe you filled it out. 

It sought to gauge residents’ knowledge about -- and interest in -- composting. 

The City’s Waste and Resources Management team shared the survey, as did the Office of Sustainability and multiple green-minded community groups and organizations. Results of the survey indicated that, yes, constituents did have an interest in composting! 

Those were the beginnings of the Knoxville Compost Pilot Project. The City established a food scraps drop-off bin in the downtown Recycling Center, located in the Old City.

Residents and restaurants could bring their qualifying food scraps to the bin for City staff to take to BattleField Farm, where they would become nutrient-rich compost in a solar-powered composter (constructed by UT professor Dr. Chad Hellwinckel, who crafted the original survey). 

Fast forward to today: The Knoxville Compost Project -- a pilot no more! -- has expanded to include three full-time food scraps drop-off sites and a Saturday drop-off site at the Nourish Knoxville Market Square Farmers’ Market.

The first batches of compost made with contributed food scraps are nourishing crops at Battlefield Farm. At harvest time, the fresh produce will be loaded onto the "Fannie Lou" Veggie Van and distributed to neighbors who have limited access to fresh fruits and vegetables. 



Learn more about the project in the news release and at KnoxvilleTN.gov/Compost.