Coral Gables' community composting program has diverted more than 5,000 pounds of carbon dioxide since launching in April, the city said on X on Monday, Aug. 31.

The city described the milestone as equivalent to offsetting emissions from more than 250 gallons of gasoline or growing 36 tree seedlings for 10 years.

The free drop-off program, run in partnership with Renuable, opened April 20 at the Coral Gables Library, 3443 Segovia St. Residents sign up through Renuable's website and use a QR code or combination lock to access the composting bin. The program accepts organic waste only; no plastic bags, fruit stickers or metal.

Compost collected at the station is turned into mulch for the city's Greenspace Management Division, according to city staff who presented the program to a commission committee earlier this year.

The program has grown steadily. By July 22, it had collected about 3,700 pounds of physical compost and attracted more than 125 participants, the Coral Gables Gazette reported. The city's newer 5,000-pound figure represents estimated carbon dioxide kept out of the atmosphere, a different measure than the raw compost weight. A "Composting Made Simple" workshop held July 20 drew 27 people, including Vice Mayor Rhonda Anderson.

At that July 22 Sustainability Advisory Board meeting, board member Frank Hercksen pushed for better outreach, saying none of the three neighbors he spoke with had heard of the program. "My question really is, how many more neighbors are out there [who] don't know about this program?" Hercksen said at the meeting, as reported by the Gazette.

Matt Anderson, the city's assistant director of mobility and sustainability, pointed residents to the city's weekly e-newsletter, which reaches more than 20,000 subscribers. Staff said at the time they planned another composting workshop roughly three months out, which would place it around late October.

The idea for the program traces to November 2025, when Francisco Torres, CEO of Compost For Life and a Coral Gables resident, presented to the Sustainability Advisory Board about establishing a composting drop-off at the library, according to board minutes.

Residents interested in joining can visit the city's composting page to sign up.