Santa Fe, N.M., and Partner Start Food Waste Pilot Program

The city of Santa Fe, N.M., is partnering with a local company to start a pilot food waste collection program.

The city’s Environmental Services Division said in a news release that the program will allow local restaurants and the food establishments of hotels to contract with the non-profit Reunity Resources to collect and transfer their separated food waste to a local composting facility.

Payne’s Organic Soil Yard will accept the food scraps and process them into compost, which Payne’s will sell.

The city will lease bins to Reunity Resources. The company will collect the material for a fee and provide employee education. All food waste will be accepted.

As a non-profit, Reunity Resources will need to raise additional funds to purchase the equipment necessary to launch the program.

The program supports Santa Fe’s goal of a zero waste community, it said. The city provides residential curbside recycling and commercial recycling at reduced rates to encourage recycling.