LOWER MERION – Lower Merion officials announced this week which neighborhoods can participate in a new Pilot Curbside Composting Program.
The temporary initiative, which was recently passed by the board of commissioners, is designed to test the feasibility and impact of a Lower Merion Township-supported food waste diversion program.
Beginning in November, a limited number of eligible households will be selected to participate in the program. The selected households will be able to place food scraps and other organic materials in a dedicated composting bin on their curb for pickup on their regular refuse collection day. All collected material will be transported to a commercial composting facility, where it will be transformed into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that benefits the environment.
Participation is voluntary and free of charge for households located within the pilot area who already subscribe to the township’s refuse collection. The pilot program is limited to the first 75 eligible households, and registration is required.
Residents of single-family homes located southeast of the Bala Cynwyd Library, from West City Avenue to North Highland Ave. and from Old Lancaster Road to Bryn Mawr Avenue, plus homes on Stoneway Lane, Edgehill Road, and Upland Road, are eligible to participate.
Commercial, institutional, and multi-family properties are not eligible to participate in this pilot program.
The Lower Merion Board of Commissioners approved the pilot program at its September board meeting.
According to information provided by township officials for its September board meeting, Lower Merion initiated a pilot community compost drop-off program in 2025. Under that program, enrolled participants could bring their food waste to designated outdoor collection receptacles at select township facilities.
“The receptacles are serviced weekly by a local third-party service provider that is permitted by the Commonwealth and possesses access to a state-licensed food waste composting facility in nearby Delaware County. The program started at two locations, but was expanded in 2025 due to demand and is currently operating at five Township facilities, providing a residential food waste composting option for up to a total of 200 households,” according to an issue briefing to the commissioners.
In the new pilot program, Lower Merion officials will utilize data from this pilot to assess community interest, measure environmental impact, and inform potential township approaches to food waste diversion. Because this is a temporary pilot program for evaluation, eligibility is limited to new compost subscribers only.
For complete program details, to check your eligibility, and to register, visit www.lowermerion.org/departments/sustainability/composting/pilot-curbside-compost-program-2071