Dillo Dirt

Location: Austin, Texas
Years: 1989-Present
Founder: City of Austin


Since 1989 the City of Austin has curb collection recycling program for yard trimmings, which is combined with excess sewage sludge to create Dillo Dirt, a biosolids fertilizer than has been proven to retain water better than regular soil reducing the need for watering. The City built Hornsby Bend, a Biosolids Management Plant, that has proven more cost effective through recycling than land filling and utilized the wastewater treatment ponds as bird observatories. The facility provides the facilities necessary for sludge-thickening, anaerobic digestion, and composting.


The program was an early component of Austin’s strategy to have zero solid waste by 2030. The city creates a closed loop for Dillo Dirt by requiring the use of Dillo Dirty for government projects. It also partners with local nurseries to sell Dillo Dirt to residents and it can be purchased http://www.organicsbygosh.com/old_site/dillodirt.htm
online. Dillo Dirt is the oldest program of its kind in the nation and has spread throughout the country, originally Dallas and Houston, because of its effectiveness and profitability.