"Make Composting Accessible" Mayor Bowser Expands DC Program as Food Waste Diversion Tops 11 Million Pounds

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mayor Muriel Bowser announced plans to install 20 additional food waste smart bins across the District this summer, expanding a composting network that has steadily grown since 2017.

National Learn About Composting Day served as the backdrop for the announcement, but the story stretches far beyond a single event. The city's collection system now reaches neighborhoods through curbside service, drop off locations and around the clock smart bins positioned throughout Washington.

More than 11 million pounds of organic material have been redirected since the program began, while over 3.3 million pounds were recovered during 2025 alone, as reported by the Office of the Mayor.

Banana peels from breakfast tables. Coffee grounds from office break rooms. Leftover vegetables scraped from dinner plates. Material once destined for disposal is now being transformed into compost used to enrich soil at farms, gardens and landscaping projects.

Participation is no longer limited to households with curbside pickup. Apartment residents, commuters and visitors can also use the expanding network, creating additional opportunities to redirect organic material before it reaches the waste stream.

Some of the busiest collection points are the smart bins themselves. The units automatically notify crews when they need servicing, help reduce odors and are designed to keep rodents from accessing the contents while remaining available at all hours.

Keeping millions of pounds out of disposal sites has produced an impact comparable to removing roughly 500 gas powered passenger vehicles from roadways or growing about 35,000 trees over a ten year span.

Funding for further growth is already on the table. Bowser's proposed Fiscal Year 2027 budget includes $4.2 million aimed at broadening collection opportunities and increasing diversion capacity throughout all eight wards.

Later this year, the District's newest smart bins will begin appearing in additional neighborhoods. Near parks, apartment buildings and busy corridors, the containers will offer another destination for yesterday's leftovers before they begin a second life beneath the soil instead of inside a landfill.