Document Type
Professional Plan Capstone
Original Publication Date
2022
Client
Department of Public Works and Department of Parks and Recreation
Location
City of Richmond
Date of Submission
May 2022
Abstract
The City of Richmond is beginning the process of creating a composting program for the first time in the city’s history. It is part of a cross-departmental collaborative plan to divert food waste from the landfill and into a new composting program. The Office of sustainability is in the process of drafting the RVAGreen 2050 Climate and Equity Master Plan for Richmond, which includes an ambitious zero-waste goal. In order to accomplish this future goal, the city must begin setting up the infrastructure to begin diverting waste from the landfill.
The purpose of the Community Composting Initiative Plan is to make recommendations for the city to help launch its first program successfully. The plan began by surveying the selected sites for the Parks and Recreation Department to make recommendations on improvements and possibly additional sites in service area gaps. The sites are distributed throughout the city and serve a significant number of city residents. These sites were mapped using GIS to show their distribution around the city and identify gaps in service. Expert interviews were conducted with officials from other jurisdictions that have launched composting programs. With the information gathered from the expert interviews as well as other research, the Community Composting Initiative Plan outlines recommendations to make sure drop-off locations are easy to locate and use to ensure high-quality compost, including clear guidelines on what to compost. Recommendations are also made to provide equitable access to the sites. Finally, recommendations for the future of the program expansion.
Rights
© The Author
Is Part Of
Master of Urban and Regional Planning Capstone Projects