Eugene will start a pilot residential food waste collection program this fall. City Counselors will get an update at their work session Monday.

Michael Wisth is the city’s waste prevention analyst. He says they’ll ask 1,400 households to participate. They’ll put food waste in their yard debris container for pickup curbside. Wisth says it’s a 2 ½ year pilot that will start in September.

“We’re using it as a way to fine-tune best practices for residential food waste collection within the City of Eugene. We’re basing it off of what a number of other cities throughout the United States have done to divert food waste from their landfills. And we’re using their best practices and trying to custom fit that to Eugene.”

Wisth says the city will partner with commercial composter Rexius and local waste collectors in the pilot. Eugene already has a commercial food waste collection program in place.

