During its inaugural Food Waste Drop-Off Program, West University Place residents diverted over 11.73 tons of food waste away from the landfill over an eight-week period, the city announced in a news release Jan. 29.

From Dec. 5-Jan. 23, the city of West University Place partnered with Zero Waste Houston to implement the food waste/food scrap drop-off pilot program at no cost to residents in an effort to reduce waste citywide and become more eco-friendly. Each Saturday, residents dropped off waste including bones, bread/grains, coffee grounds, dairy, eggshells, fried food, freezer-burned food, fruit, meat and more.

“It is programs like this that make West U unique and a great place to live,” said Gerardo Barrera, the city’s public works director, in the news release. “It was great to see the community participate in this program and encourage residents to continue exploring alternatives to reduce waste within their homes.”

Over 342 residents participated in the program, supported in part by the city’s recycling and solid waste reduction board.

No decision has been made on a future program as the city evaluates the participation data.