Avondale Estates residents who’ve spent the last eight months tossing banana peels and coffee grounds into green bins at the curb just got bad news. The city’s free composting pilot program will end after this week’s pickup.
🍂 What We Know: The city launched the curbside composting program in August with $323,800 in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That money covered weekly pickup for 534 households using seven-gallon bins serviced by CompostNow.
But now, the money has been frozen by the Trump administration. A federal review of spending programs—including those tied to climate, food systems and sustainability—has halted funding. The city says it can’t continue offering the service for free without those dollars.
The final pickups will follow regular schedules this week.
🚮 What It Means for Residents: Two Choices
Residents have two options:
- Leave the green bin at the curb the week of April 14 for return.
- Pay to keep the service going—CompostNow will continue pickup for $29 a month. Residents can register online and cancel anytime.
♻️ By The Numbers: Program Impact
In just eight months:
- 534 households joined the pilot
- 80,243 pounds of waste were diverted from landfills
- The compost helped local gardens and growers through groups like Food Well Alliance and Roots Down
🤔 What We Don’t Know: City staff say they’re hopeful the freeze is temporary. But they don’t know when—or if—the funding will return. There’s also no word yet from federal officials on how long the review could take or what happens to other pilot programs across the country.
📍 Why It Matters: The program was the first of its kind in Georgia and a major step toward greener living in Avondale Estates. Ending it risks stalling momentum around sustainable food systems and environmental stewardship at the neighborhood level.
🚀 What’s Next: For residents willing to pay, CompostNow will keep weekly pickup going without a break. Food scraps will still be turned into rich compost for local farms, gardens and even library orchards—just not on the federal dime.
✅ Take Action: If you can swing the monthly fee, staying in the program helps reduce landfill waste and keeps nutrient-rich compost cycling back into your community.

B.T. Clark
B.T. Clark is an award-winning journalist and the Publisher of The Georgia Sun. He has 25 years of experience in journalism and served as Managing Editor of Neighbor Newspapers in metro Atlanta for 15 years and Digital Director at Times-Journal Inc. for 8 years. His work has appeared in several newspapers throughout the state including Neighbor Newspapers, The Cherokee Tribune and The Marietta Daily Journal. He is a Georgia native and a fifth-generation Georgian.