Abstract
Adding compost created using landscape and kitchen organic waste to landscape beds incorporates valuable organic matter and associated nutrients into soil. This, coupled with the fact that landfi ll space is limited, led to collaboration between Pinellas County Utilities and our Extension Horticulture Department. The Recycling Department at Pinellas County Utilities Solid Waste Division purchases compost bins to provide free to participants of “Compost Happens” workshops. A survey sent in Sept. 2005 and Sept. 2006 to those attendees who received the free compost bins helped assess the usage of the compost bins. The survey is also used to quantify the amount of refuse composted and diverted from the landfi ll. The surveys show that citizens who embrace composting divert a signifi cant amount of organic refuse from the landfi ll.
