CHAMBLEE, GA — Chamblee is launching a new composting program that allows residents to have food scraps and other compostable waste picked up curbside along with their regular trash and recycling.

Through the city’s partnership with CompostNow, residents can sign up for the service for $19 a month. Participants receive a bin that can be used for items including food waste, paper towels and grass clippings.

Nearly 70 people have registered for the program so far.

Chamblee Councilmember Jimmy Furst says more than half of the trash that ends up in landfills could instead be composted. He says offering alternatives can also reduce costs associated with trips to landfills.

“There’s a cost for every time we go to the landfills so this actually reduces the costs for our citizens by having all of these different outlets for different recyclable or different composting options,” Furst said.

The finished compost is returned to local gardens and farms, including Food Well Alliance and the Grant Park Community Garden. Furst says putting compost back into the soil can reduce carbon dioxide in the air and improve plant growth.

“It’s waste, and turning into something that is beautiful such as compost; and I know a lot of people won’t call compost beautiful, but it is because the more compost we have the more it can be shared through the metro of Atlanta,” Furst said.

The compost program adds to other recycling options available in Chamblee. Furst says the city expanded its electronic recycling program, held on the third Saturday of each month, to accept scrap metal.

The city’s glass recycling program also diverted 38 tons of glass from the landfill during its first year.

Furst hopes the curbside option will encourage more residents to participate in composting. The service is available to most homes, businesses and municipalities across the greater Atlanta area.

WSB Radio’s Ashley Simmons & MaryRyan Howarth contributed to this story.