St. Augustine Launches Free Compost Bin Program for Single-Family Homes

St. Augustine started taking applications Monday, September 21, for free backyard compost bins, part of a new city program aimed at cutting down on what residents send to the landfill. The bins are free, but they come with limits: only single-family homes inside city limits qualify, and the city is capping it at one bin per household while supplies last.

The bin itself is a 43-gallon, dual-chamber tumbler that spins 360 degrees to speed up the composting process. It arrives unassembled. Residents who apply and get accepted will hear from city staff to schedule a pickup time, according to the city's Residential Composting Program page.

Apartments and condos don't qualify, and neither do homes outside city limits. Residents can check whether their address falls inside city limits through a lookup tool on the city's website before applying.

How it works

This is being run as a pilot program, and the city isn't collecting anyone's finished compost. Residents are on their own for turning food scraps and yard waste into usable soil, then using it in their own garden or handing it off to a neighbor or community garden.

The bin stays city property even after it's dropped off at your house. The city says residents are responsible for keeping it in roughly the same shape they received it in. Anyone who stops composting, wants to give the bin back, or moves outside city limits is asked to notify the city so staff can arrange a pickup, though the bin needs to be empty first.

Applications go through the city's website, and staff review each one before contacting accepted residents to set up a pickup. The city says home composting can divert a significant share of everyday household waste from the landfill, turning scraps into soil instead.

Residents with questions about eligibility or the application can call Danielle Cora, the city's environmental compliance inspector, at 904-825-1055. The city has not said how many bins it has on hand or when the supply might run out, so residents who want one are better off applying sooner rather than later.

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