Our right to Compost your food scraps!
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In April of 2022, I received a phone call from the Solid Waste Authority of Palm Beach. They demanded I show them my farm headquarters, insisted I have to pay them to be a regulated waste and sanitation business and then told me I must cease all operations in Palm Beach County. I was informed composting of organic waste is entirely illegal in ONLY Palm Beach County due to a privilege that the SWA has called the Flow Code. I already knew this, which is why I breed worms and make worm compost. Let it Rot has and always will be an Agriculture business. According to Karen Kantor, Solid Waste Authority owns all the trash in Palm Beach County and was given complete economic control over how it is processed since the Waste to Energy facility was built in 2015, the same year I started Let it Rot. According to the Solid Waste Authority, I am stealing not only from them but also from FPL. They claim my worms could affect the county’s ability to generate energy because I am taking organic waste away from their incinerator. With my annual impact anticipated to be a little of 50,000 pounds of organic waste diverted from the landfill, my overall impact represents .00000001666% of the SWA’s overall impact between their 2 REF facilities and the posted impact according to their Landfill Depletion Model (swa.org).
Since receiving that phone call, SWA has sent me seven cease-and-desist packages via certified mail. They have sent representatives to my last five personal addresses. Representatives were sent to multiple business partners, and one of my private garden clients has been harassed. They searched my aunt’s property and caused a schism in my family as they do not want their private properties invaded by county officials, so I have lost even more property that used to be available to work off of. Luckily this year, I purchased a property that will be Let it Rot's new headquarters. It is zoned for residential and agriculture, and I have begun taking steps to have it recognized as a "Bona-fide farm" according to palm beach county zoning and development.
I am raising money to cover the upcoming legal expenses in my fight with the Solid Waste Authority. I need funds to help secure the appropriate agriculture permits for our new property and to help cover legal costs should the SWA file an injunction against me.
Fundraising team (2)
Melissa Corichi
Organizer
West Palm Beach, FL
Shannon Horwath
Team member