A Tijuana nonprofit is opening the city’s first composting center with U.S. funding as part of an effort to reduce waste that affects both sides of the border.
The nonprofit is called Tijuana Calidad de Vida, which means Quality of Life. It’s opening the center with the help of a $93,000 grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Composting is the process of decomposing organic material like plant and animal waste and turning it into fertilizer. The center expects to produce 150 tons of compost in its first year. It’ll be used to plant and fertilize trees across the city. The center will also train individuals and agencies on how to compost.
The grant came from an EPA fund meant to improve the environment in border communities like San Diego by addressing environmental issues on both sides of the border.
Jared Blumenfeld, the EPA’s Southwest administrator, said in a statement the center will protect the San Diego-Tijuana watershed by recycling waste that otherwise would have gone to landfills.
