SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. – For the last five years, Jill Hallquist has been working to establish a composting program in South Lake Tahoe to keep food waste out of landfills. After formally establishing Tahoe Composts as a nonprofit in 2024, the program now offers education, composting bins, and curbside pickups for a subscription fee—and is looking to expand.

Tahoe Composts is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit working with the city and South Tahoe Refuse to make composting easier for high-altitude and wildlife-concerned residents. The process relies on temperature and oxygen to help break down organic waste into a soil-like substance called compost, so it happens more slowly at high elevation and drier climates. And since food scraps in garbage are the number one attractant for wildlife, leaving a regular compost bin outside could lead to disastrous results. Tahoe Composts’ kit includes a countertop bin, a bear-safe curbside bin, and educational materials to know what food waste is okay to compost.

Hallquist has experience with high-altitude composting—she helped bring composting to the food halls during her time at Northern Arizona University (nearly 600 feet higher in elevation than Tahoe.) She’s always had a passion for sustainability and bringing it to Tahoe has been her goal since 2020, when she first approached the city to ask about their composting programs.

Now, Hallquist is part of the effort to reach South Lake Tahoe’s sustainability goals and achieve their Climate Action Plan. The city already made headway with SB 1383, the bill to reduce organic waste in landfills, by switching to the three-cart trash system. But composting yard waste and food waste is a slightly different process.

Yard waste guarantees all-organic compost, which can be used in any operation that compost is needed. The same can’t be said of food waste, as not everyone eats 100% organic. However, Tahoe Composts is partnered with South Tahoe Refuse and Full Circle Soils & Compost in Carson City, which allows the food waste compost to go to large-scale landscaping companies, ensuring it still gets usage. Hallquist praised South Tahoe Refuse for their “excellent and extremely dedicated” partnership they’ve had.

Hallquist launched a pilot program for Tahoe Composts back in 2022, where they tested the containers they use for composting and the curbside pickup process with 12 households. Over 70% of the people she surveyed after they launched the pilot said that they would be interested in the program if it formally existed.

So, she got to work—ensuring that the program was done legally, safely, and had the proper insurance. “In my first meeting with South Tahoe Refuse in January 2023, I told them, ‘I want to do this, and I want to do it right.’ I wanted the program itself to be sustainable.”

Now, the program has tripled, with nearly 40 households subscribed to Tahoe Composts. Hallquist said they have a goal of 15% of year-round residents participating (though they do have some seasonal customers who utilize the program). Currently, with 40 households, they’re still at less than 1%. But Hallquist is optimistic about their future growth.

“People really want this program,” she said emphatically. “We’ve been really grassroots up until now, growing our base—but we wanted to have our program and processes be a focus, not an afterthought.” Hallquist highlighted how important education has been and continues to be for the nonprofit.

Hallquist also acknowledged that the current model of subscriptions and their pricing might not be feasible for everyone. “When people ask, ‘Why doesn’t everyone do this?’ I always recognize that there is a cost for it, and that families who are trying to make ends meet or don’t have a lot of time may not have access to this program.”

Fortunately, the El Dorado Community Foundation recently provided a grant to Tahoe Composts to cover the costs for some low-income families. Hallquist encouraged people to reach out to Tahoe Composts to discuss what options might be available for them.

For more information on Tahoe Composts, you can visit their website at https://www.tahoecomposts.com/.

Eli Ramos is a reporter for Tahoe Daily Tribune. They are part of the 2024–26 cohort of California Local News Fellows through UC Berkeley.