Residents in Cleveland Heights are witnessing a sustainable step forward as the city's composting pilot program gets a boost. According to the City of Cleveland Heights, in a press release, the municipality is enhancing its green initiative by opening a second food scrap drop-off location at Noble Road Library next month.
The expansion follows an evidently successful start for the program initiated last fall, which saw over 470 households participating. Originally utilizing a single site at Dave’s Market, Severance Town Center, the second drop-off point opens up on February 18, with a ribbon-cutting at Noble Library. In the words of Andy Boateng, Cleveland Heights Sustainability and Resiliency Coordinator, "The launch of this new composting site is a significant step in our city’s efforts to reduce organic waste and its associated methane emissions." Boateng told the source of news in promoting a scalable solution to organic waste diversion, according to the City of Cleveland Heights.
Rust Belt Riders, a Cleveland-based company, has partnered with the city to provide composting services as part of Cleveland Heights' Climate Action and Resilience Plan or Climate Forward Plan. Adopted in 2025, this ambitious plan targets a 30% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030. Energy savings contracts and a proposed business recycling pilot further illustrate the city’s commitment to its climate goals.
Since its inception, the municipal composting pilot has spared approximately 1.43 metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent from entering the atmosphere, with 13,048 pounds of food scraps collected. Mayor Jim Petras shared his enthusiasm, saying, in a statement obtained by the City of Cleveland Heights, "Expanding our composting pilot is one of the many ways Cleveland Heights is turning the goals of our Climate Forward Plan into real, everyday action." Petras's statement highlighted the direct impact such programs have on sustainability efforts within the community.
