It’s Live! Target Organics Hub Launched to Help Communities Build Infrastructure

The Target Organics Committee is excited to unveil the beta version of the long-awaited Target Organics Hub, a web-based collection of resources designed to help communities develop organics recycling programs and compost facilities.

The Hub contains expert advice organized into five major focus areas for organics programs, written and curated by USCC members from the Hub and Roadmap Committees. Thank you to the Target Organics Committee (see box) for all of your work!

The project was formally developed and named in 2018 after the first of two consecutive surveys of hundreds of municipalities about the status of their composting programs indicated that a consolidated source of information on how to start programs was one of their biggest challenges.

"The second survey in 2019 gave us a ‘roadmap’ of specific needs around case studies of public private partnerships, siting assistance and other more specific subject areas,” said Kellie Kish, of the City of Minneapolis, longtime co-chair of the Target Organics "Roadmap” Committee that developed in-house expert content for the Hub.

Her co-chair is Wayne Koeckeritz of EcoProducts. Dan Aronson, Elevate Packaging, is current chair of the Hub committee which works with partners, marketing and user navigation issues. Until recently, Susan Thoman of Compost Manufacturing Alliance co-chaired the Hub, and an early co-chair of the project was Sarah Martinez, now with The Clorox Company.  Thanks to each of these for their hard work. 

The five major areas under which resources and expertise will continue to be added are:

• Understanding the commercial composting industry and its varying scales of facilities and business models, from non-profit to community/municipal to private sector and large scale;
• Program development, including assessing need and designing community-responsive programs;
• Site planning, including determining facility/composting method, type and size; odor management and other common composting site issues;
• Education and ongoing development, outlining community engagement programs and expansion considerations;
• Compost marketing, a guide to producing premium and marketable compost for health soils and financial sustaining of facilities and programs.

"This launch is of our beta site because resources and interactive opportunities for those using the Hub will continue developing in this work in progress,” said Frank Francoisi, Executive Director, USCC.

The Hub is made possible by the Corporate Compost Leadership Council, especially The Clorox Company, which contributed an additional $20,000 toward the Hub’s beta launch and future development.

The Target Organics Hub and Roadmap Committees toasted the newly released  Target Organics Hub website, www.usccorganicshub.com, with a happy hour recently.