Subscribe
Menu Icon
Refresh Miami Logo
Search Icon
Sign Up Sign In

3 startups win innovation challenge to help cut landfill waste in Miami-Dade

Nancy Dahlberg
Nancy Dahlberg
PinLinkedIn

Miami-Dade County produces over 5 million tons of waste annually. That growing mountain of waste is an urgent problem – one that requires innovation beyond traditional recycling efforts. Indeed, only 37% of the County’s waste is actually recycled, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Today, Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, alongside the Department of Solid Waste Management, County officials and the Miami-Dade Innovation Authority, announced the winners of MDIA’s fifth public innovation challenge. As part of the challenge, the three winning startups — which include two from South Florida — presented their easy-to-use tools that will help divert waste, particularly organic waste, from county landfills, enhance recycling efforts, and strengthen strategies to reduce waste and educate and engage residents. As winners, they each will receive $100,000 and will pilot their technologies with the county starting in 2026.

Leigh-Ann Buchanan, President and CEO of Miami-Dade Innovation Authority.

“Miami-Dade’s new waste mandates require at least a 40% reduction in waste sent to landfills and such a substantial portion could be composted or reused,” said Leigh-Ann Buchanan, President and CEO of MDIA. “Through the pilots of these winning solutions, we’re demonstrating that innovation and technology can be at the forefront of optimizing efficiencies in waste diversion.”

The pilots will help inform the County’s Zero Waste Master Plan, a comprehensive roadmap reducing waste in the county. The companies will test their solutions with the Department of Solid Waste Management, which manages waste collection and recycling services for more than 350,000 households in Miami-Dade.

Stay ahead of Miami Tech

Join 16,000+ founders, investors, and tech professionals.

Check your inbox for a confirmation email.

Selected from a pool of 80 qualified applicants, the three winners are:

  • Clean Earth Innovations, a South Florida startup, which will process organic waste through a rotary pyrolysis to create nutrient-rich biochar;
  • Fertile Earth Worm Farm, also based in South Florida, which deploys a composting solution to create high-quality, organic soil blends;
  • Scrapp, a Massachusetts startup that created a phone-based app that educates and engages residents on proper waste disposal practices.

This innovation challenge was announced in March. Launched in 2023 with seed funding from Miami-Dade County, The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and Citadel CEO Ken Griffin, the MDIA was founded with $9 million to support the public innovation challenges. Through the challenges, MDIA’s mission is to identify, invest in and support early-to-growth stage companies to pilot and validate their technology in collaboration with the economic engines and local government.

The most recent challenge, the sixth, was announced this summer to find innovative ways to improve access to affordable housing, joining previous challenges that have sought to address challenges with sargassum, MIA, port operations, mobility and  waste. Together, MDIA has already deployed more than $1 million in funding and attracted more than 440 startups, from 55 different countries.

“We’re running out of space in our landfills, and the time to act is now. Every innovative step we take helps protect our planet, reduce waste, and create a cleaner, more sustainable future for generations to come, which is why we’re positioning Miami-Dade County to lead in Zero Waste innovation while solving real problems for the residents we serve,” said Mayor Levine Cava, in a statement.

READ MORE IN REFRESH MIAMI:

Nancy Dahlberg
Latest posts by Nancy Dahlberg (see all)