Performing Department
Division of Planning and Development
Non Technical Summary
This project, "Transforming Memphis Zoo's Landfill-Destined Food Waste into Sustainable Fertilizer for Local Agriculture," will demonstrate the feasibility of composting the Memphis Zoo's food waste, which will then be distributed free-of-charge to local urban farmers and gardeners. The Memphis Zoo is currently one of the largest generators of waste in Memphis and Shelby County, a significant portion of which can be diverted from the landfill and repurposed as compost. By procuring a commercial composter and beginning a composting program, the Memphis Zoo can ensure that food waste (created by both humans and animals) is disposed of in an environmentally responsible way. Quality control for the compost will be completed by the staff at the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, who will do a nutrient analysis to make sure that the Zoo's composting program is working as it should.Once the compost is produced and quality control is completed, the Zoo will work with local organizations like Black Seeds Urban Farms, MidtownMemphis.org, and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens to distribute the compost free of charge. Though the compost will be available to any Memphian who wants some, project partners will do outreach and education to help encourage gardeners in underserved communities to take advantage of the resources provided by the program, in the hopes of supporting existing gardens and possibly starting new community gardens. These gardens are crucial toward building community resilience, as they can help community members gain access to healthy food, especially in places that may not have consistent access to fresh produce.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Goal: This project aims to divert all human and animal food waste and animal manure generated by the Memphis Zoo from local MSW landfills and create high-quality compost that will be used by home and community gardens to foster and stimulate urban agriculture in Memphis. The City of Memphis will subaward funds to the Memphis Zoo to install equipment and begin the composting pilot project using its onsite waste streams. Once the compost is ready, the Memphis Zoo will work with Black Seeds Urban Farms, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and MidtownMemphis.org to distribute the compost to community gardens and home gardens to be used to grow food within the Memphis city limits, with a focus on reaching underserved communities.Objectives:City of Memphis oversees and manages grant administration and reporting.City of Memphis grant administration team establishes internal accounting, subaward, and reporting protocols.City of Memphis executes award agreement with USDA in December 2024.City of Memphis enters into subaward agreement with Memphis Zoo.City of Memphis administration team tracks implementation, manages finances, monitors subaward, and submits semi-annual reports and final report to USDA by January 2027.Convene project partners.Host kick-off meeting to formalize project roles upon announcement of selection.City of Memphis confirms subaward and reporting protocols with project partners, establishing a system for tracking expenditures and performance measures.Project partners meet monthly and as needed for the duration of the two-year grant period.Install in-vessel composting unit adjacent to the Elephant House at the Memphis Zoo.Memphis Zoo will acquire bids, purchase, and install the new composting system in compliance with 2 CFR 200 and grant terms and conditions.Memphis Zoo will test the system to ensure correct functioning and make adjustments as needed, with all installation and tests completed by May 2025.Initiate composting operation utilizing all Memphis Zoo food waste, augmented by compostable manure.Memphis Zoo will begin composting using human and animal food waste, scaling up as the project progresses.Trained staff at the Dixon Galleryand Gardens will conduct chemical and nutrient analyses of the compost being produced, enabling quality evaluation and adjustments as necessary to the procedure or the materials used to produce a product of exceptional quality and nutrient characteristics.Composting production will begin on an operational trial basis, scaling up following successful trials until the program is operating at maximum capacity.Memphis Zoo will contribute animal manure and landscape refuse toward the composting program.Dixon Galleryand Gardens staff will conduct chemical and nutrient analyses of the compost utilizing the human and animal food waste, animal manure, and landscape refuse to determine whether adjustments in mix, composition, and process need to be made.Provide soil amendment to Black Seeds Urban Farms, MidtownMemphis.org, and Dixon Gallery and Gardens for distribution to regional gardeners and urban subsistence produce pilots.Project partners will meet and determine strategy for distributing soil nutrient alternative, specifically discussing prioritization and phasing of distribution to each community partner, as well as outreach and education strategies.Memphis Zoo will provide soil nutrient alternative to the community partners, beginning with Black Seeds Urban Farm and following the distribution strategy determined by the project team.Black Seeds Urban Farm, Dixon Gallery and Gardens, and MidtownMemphis.org will distribute soil nutrient alternative to home and community gardens.Project partners will evaluate and work through any challenges with distributing the product.Increase our reach in agricultural commodity availability and economic sustainability of area urban farm gardens.Based on distribution system evaluation, Memphis Zoo will expand compost distribution partnerships beyond the pilot locations.
Project Methods
Methods: The project will begin by procuring a new in-vessel composting unit, which will be installed at the Memphis Zoo adjacent to the Elephant House. This site has been selected for the composting unit because the elephants create a large amount of manure (both in volume and in weight), and since the elephant manure will comprise part of the compost mix, it would be the most efficient to site the composter as close as possible to the elephants to reduce transportation efforts. Once the unit is installed, Zoo staff will be trained on the unit and will conduct tests to ensure that the unit works as intended.Following successful installation, the Memphis Zoo will then begin a small-scale composting program, utilizing human and animal food waste, as well as compostable manure and landscaping trimmings. The composting program will begin at a small scale to determine what the best mix of materials will be in order to create the highest quality of compost. During the initial tests, the Zoo will send samples to the Dixon Gallery and Gardens, whose staff will conduct chemical and nutrient analyses on the compost. The results of these analyses will help the Zoo staff determine what adjustments to the mix may need to be made moving forward to ensure that the product is the best quality possible.Efforts: Once the compost program at the Zoo is underway, the project partners will begin the distribution of the composted product through community outreach. Groups such as Black Seeds Urban Farms, MidtownMemphis.org, and the Dixon Gallery and Gardens have already signed on to be the pilot program's initial distribution network. The groups will use their connections to advertise the availability of the compost, and the Dixon will use some of the compost in their landscape displays as a way to demonstrate the use of compost to the general public. Additionally, the Dixon may use the compost in their community education classes, either through their monthly gardening classes or through one-time workshops that teach participants gardening skills.Evaluation:Compost Program at the Zoo: The compost program at the Zoo will be evaluated for success in a number of different ways. The program's initial success will be the first successful run of the commercial composter, since that will demonstrate that the composter has been used appropriately and that the procedure the Zoo has created is working. Continued success will be determined by the extent to which additional compostable material can be incorporated into the program without difficulties, with the ultimate goal of using 100% of the Memphis Zoo's human and animal food waste, as well as the compostable food containers and utensils, in the composting program. As the Dixon Gallery and Gardens conducts its quality control analysis through the development of the compost program, the goal will be to ensure that an increase in volume of composted materials does not create a decrease in quality of compost. Additional metrics of success for the compost program will be the amount of food waste diverted from landfills and a reduction in cost for hauling waste to the landfills.Compost Distribution: The compost distribution element of the program will be evaluated based on the level of participation from the community. In particular, the program will be considered a success if it attracts a high level of participation from community gardens, farmers and/or gardeners in low-income or historically disadvantaged communities, as those are the communities that the project aims to assist. We will gauge this based on surveys that compost recipients will complete at the time of receipt.