DC's locked food-waste bins have diverted over a million pounds since 2024
Washington, D.C.'s network of keypad-access composting bins, aimed at apartment dwellers without curbside pickup, has grown steadily in use and is expanding by 20 more sites this fall.
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This story was reported and published by Smart Cities Dive. What follows is our summary of it, and why it matters for people writing policy.
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According to the piece, Washington, D.C.'s food-waste diversion program, launched in 2024, has expanded from a handful of locked 'smart bins' to 31 across the city, with another 20 planned this fall to serve multifamily housing residents who lack curbside composting access. The reporting notes more than 1 million pounds of food waste have been dropped off via keypad-access bins, and roughly 10,000 residents have signed up, with popularity growing sharply in the last 18 months. The program is part of a broader goal to divert 80% of the city's waste from landfills by 2040, offering a low-cost model apartment-heavy cities elsewhere could adapt for composting access without full curbside infrastructure.
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