Monroe County rolled out a targeted food-waste collection pilot this fall intended to keep household food scraps out of area landfills and convert them into compost. Announced in late October 2025 and verified on the county government calendar and the SoilMate Composting website, the pilot centers on the Upper Keys — specifically Key Largo and Tavernier — and runs from Nov. 17, 2025, through Feb. 6, 2026, following a ribbon-cutting ceremony at Ocean Studies Charter School on Nov. 13.

The pilot provides free drop-off of food scraps at three local sites: Ocean Studies Charter School in Key Largo, Atlantic Trash and Transfer, and Coral Isles Church. Registration opened Nov. 10 at www.your-soilmate.com/pages/monroe, where residents sign up and complete a brief education session to receive access codes for the drop-off stations. The program is being coordinated by Monroe County’s recycling team, led by Recycling Coordinator Melody Tuschel, in partnership with SoilMate Composting as the processing partner and Baptist Health South Florida as sponsor.

Local officials and partner organizations describe the initiative as a practical step toward reducing methane emissions from landfills and lessening pressure on limited waste-disposal capacity in the Keys. The Florida Keys, with its low-lying islands, coral reefs and tourism-driven waste generation, is particularly sensitive to pollution and climate-related impacts; diverting organic waste into compost is presented as a way to mitigate some of those risks while producing nutrient-rich material useful for gardening and land restoration.

For residents, the pilot offers a hands-on, free option to participate in local sustainability efforts. By requiring registration and a short education session, organizers aim to ensure that only appropriate materials are accepted and that participants understand how to prepare and drop off scraps. The three sites were selected to be accessible to Upper Keys neighborhoods and community hubs, integrating education and civic participation through places like Ocean Studies Charter School and Coral Isles Church.

The pilot is novel for Monroe County’s waste-management landscape; researchers found no prior local coverage of the program on the Prism Monroe County page at the time of verification. County and partner websites provide consistent details on the timeline, locations and operations, but several outcome indicators remain to be seen. Key follow-up items include actual participation rates, the quantities of organic waste diverted, compliance with accepted material rules, and whether the pilot’s logistics require adjustments during the three-month run.

If the pilot meets its goals, county leaders could consider expanding similar services to the Middle and Lower Keys. For now, residents of Key Largo and Tavernier have the opportunity to take a local, practical step toward cutting landfill waste and supporting the resilience of the Florida Keys. The program’s short-term results will be a local measure of community engagement and may feed into broader discussions on sustainable waste management in coastal and tourism-dependent regions.