Doylestown Borough wants to know whether residents compost, what's stopping them and whether they'd pay for a pickup service.

Borough Council, led by President Jack O'Brien, voted unanimously on Monday, Aug. 17, to distribute a community composting survey, the first tangible step under the borough's new climate action plan. All nine council members approved the measure. The questionnaire, developed by Sustainability Coordinator Grant Rowe, will reach residents through the borough's D-Mail email system and social media accounts, Central Bucks Now reported.

The survey does not commit the borough to launching or funding a municipal compost collection program. It gauges interest and identifies barriers.

What the survey asks

Residents who already compost will be asked whether they maintain a backyard pile or hire a private hauler, what materials they divert, whether their service accepts meat and dairy and how much they pay each month. Those who don't compost will be asked what might get them started.

The questionnaire also covers housing type and homeowners association status, details that could shape how any future program is designed for apartment dwellers or HOA-governed neighborhoods.

Everyone will be asked whether they'd be more likely to participate if the borough promoted a private collection program or ran an educational campaign. Topics on the table include preventing odors and pests, composting in apartments or small spaces, finding private services and using finished compost.

New position, first initiative

Rowe joined the borough's Planning and Zoning Department in June 2025 as Doylestown's first Sustainability Coordinator, a role the borough's website describes as the third such position created in Bucks County. He previously served as a sustainability coordinator in the State College area. His background includes greenhouse gas accounting, policy analysis and community organizing, and he is pursuing a master's degree in Renewable Energy and Sustainability Systems at Penn State.

The climate action plan itself is Doylestown's first. The borough has not disclosed when it was formally adopted, and no timeline for acting on the survey results has been announced.

How to participate

The borough has not published a survey link or response deadline. Residents can sign up for D-Mail at doylestownborough.net/dmail to receive the survey when it goes out. Borough Council next meets Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. at Borough Hall, 10 Doyle St.