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Increasing the number of home composters in the County is also market development. Home composters have a higher demand for municipal compost, which will flood Alameda County's compost markets by mid-decade. Integrating Education and Bin Programs To Meet Backyard Compostiug Goals ACHC has developed a countywide goal of 20% participation in home composting by the year 2000. This is a realistic goal, based on careful assessment of home composting programs elsewhere, and one and a half years of experience teaching composting to the residents of Alameda County. The only way to meet this goal is through a compost bin program in conjunction with the existing Compost Education Program. The programs axe complementary, strongly reinforcing composting as a desirable waste reduction behavior. Both a compost bin program and an Education program are necessary, for significant waste reduction through composting. ACHC year-end survey respondents that were not yet composting cited the lack of a compost bin as the number one barrier to composting. As noted in the Resource Recycling article cited earlier: The convenience of a manufactured bin for composting seems to provide the same positive response of increased participation and material recovery that has been achieved by the distribution of special bins for curbside recycling collection (ibid., p.44). Large scale participation in home composting requires local jurisdictions to make a commitment to convenient composting by providing low-cost composting bins. Countywide Benefits of the Compost Bin Pilot Program There are a number of compelling reasons for a countywide approach. First and foremost is cost-effectiveness. By pooling resources and buying more bins, significant quantity discounts can be gained from the manufacturer. Secondly, promotions and compost education can be done more efficiently on a countywide basis. Printing and advertising is less expensive per unit on a large or regional scale. A countywide program would also permit consistency in education. A regional approach, with the higher volume, allows for more creative opportunities such as recycling locally generated HDPE plastics into County compost bins. This pilot program will provide important information to all Member Agencies, whether they participate directly or not. Valuable information regarding waste diversion from baclcyard composting, types of materials composted, demographics, and participation rates will help all jurisdictions in their integrated waste management planning.