Environmental Protection Agency Awards Grant to Livable Buckhead for Composting Program

BuckheadCOMPOSTS will bring free composting to 15 apartment communities and engage residents through education, events and friendly competition

ATLANTA – August 19, 2025 – Livable Buckhead is excited to announce it has been awarded a grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Region 4 Sustainable Materials Management program to launch an innovative urban composting initiative in the heart of Atlanta. The new program, BuckheadCOMPOSTS, will provide free composting services for 15 apartment and condo communities for one year — along with support including technical assistance, education, tenant engagement campaigns and community events.

“BuckheadCOMPOSTS is the next evolution of our work to make Buckhead a more sustainable, connected and engaged community,” said Denise Starling, executive director of Livable Buckhead. “We’ve seen firsthand through our BuckheadWALKS competition that a little friendly competition and fun incentives go a long way in getting people excited. This program brings that same energy to a real environmental challenge, and we know Buckhead is ready for it.”

Following a competitive Request for Proposals process, Livable Buckhead selected CompostNow as the official composting service provider for BuckheadCOMPOSTS. With 14 years of experience and a proven track record of serving more than 11,000 customers across four metro areas, CompostNow brings both operational expertise and a deep commitment to community-based sustainability. Its robust reporting tools will track essential program metrics including participation rates, total compost collected and greenhouse gas emissions avoided. Livable Buckhead aims to reach 9,000 residents and divert more than 500,000 pounds of food waste from Georgia landfills over the next year.

According to the 2024 State of Buckhead Survey, there is strong community demand for sustainability programs. While 20% of residents already compost, another 28% said they want to start, and more than 70% expressed interest in expanding recycling for items not currently collected through the city’s curbside service. BuckheadCOMPOSTS is designed to turn this interest into action, providing the tools and support needed to make composting a core sustainability practice in Buckhead homes.

Why compost? Food waste makes up over 20% of Georgia’s landfilled material and is responsible for more than half of the methane released in landfills. Composting helps cut emissions of that potent greenhouse gas while also reducing hauling costs and creating nutrient-rich soil that can be used in gardens and green spaces. Drawdown Georgia has identified composting as one of the state’s top 20 high-impact solutions for reducing emissions, with a target of diverting two million tons of organic waste by 2030.

Buckhead is uniquely positioned to lead by example. The metro Atlanta region contributes nearly 48% of all food waste in Georgia, and urban neighborhoods like Buckhead can create new efficiencies by concentrating composting pickup routes and engaging high-density communities.

“This initiative has a ripple effect,” said Starling. “It builds collaboration between property managers, tenant, and local businesses, while creating momentum that other neighborhoods can follow.”

“Livable Buckhead is setting the bar for what it means to build truly sustainable communities,” said Kat Nigro, COO at CompostNow. “We’re proud to bring more than 14 years of composting experience to this partnership, and even prouder to support a program that shows what’s possible when bold vision meets real action.”

Livable Buckhead is actively recruiting multifamily properties (apartment or condo) to participate in the free pilot program. Interested parties can reach out via compost@livablebuckhead.org or visit www.livablebuckhead.com/buckheadcomposts to learn more.

The BuckheadCOMPOSTS program supports the EPA’s national recycling goals and aligns with the agency’s mission to safeguard and revitalize communities through sustainable materials management. It will cut landfill-bound food waste, reduce methane emissions, increase tenant engagement, and make composting more accessible in the urban environment.

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About Livable Buckhead

Livable Buckhead nonprofit organization that strives to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the Buckhead community. The organization achieves its mission by working cooperatively with individuals, public entities and private businesses to integrate sustainable strategies. Livable Buckhead implements programs related to greenspace, recycling, energy efficiency, commute alternatives, arts and culture, real estate development and land use. For more information about Livable Buckhead and its programs, visit livablebuckhead.org.

Though this project has been funded, wholly or in part, by EPA, the contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of EPA.