Composters: The Bureau of Labor Statistics is Giving you the Chance to Help our Industry Grow!

Normally when we hear “I’m from the government and I’m here to help,” folks can be a bit skeptical, but this time when the Bureau of Labor Statistics reaches out USCC wants composters to pick up the phone!

The BLS is preparing to launch a much-needed industry study based on the code we have secured in the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 325315 Compost manufacturing). Data from this study will update the sample of goods and services that makes up the monthly Producer Price Index data for our industry. The PPI tracks prices for most goods and services produced in the United States and all indexes are available for free online at www.bls.gov/ppi.

The USCC has met with the lead investigators in this study at BLS and wholly endorses this effort. For our industry, sound economic policy and successful business planning requires reliable, accurate and timely data, which we have been working hard to secure for business planning, banking, loans, and many other important purposes. The PPI is one of the nation’s primary measures of price change for goods and services produced in the U.S. The quality of PPI data depends greatly on the number of businesses responding to the PPI survey, so your participation will help us all.

Greater industry recognition, especially from the federal government, helps build future opportunities such as grants and programs that will encourage people and companies to compost. Right now, the avenues for industry support are narrow, and legislative and regulatory inconsistencies varying by state and municipality make it difficult to reach a general consensus on our work at the federal level. Our executive director, Frank Franciosi, recently met with CNBC to discuss this very issue, owing it to a lack of bipartisan support.

States such as Vermont and California have taken the initiative with mandatory composting laws or separation of organic waste from landfill trash, and this has other states considering similar efforts. The more widespread these practices become, the more likely we can receive bipartisan support on future programs and proposals.

Frank also shared in his interview that substantial industry growth requires more composting facilities, an obstacle that can, however, be overcome with federal efforts such as low-interest loans or grants for municipalities or private individuals to build these facilities. Efforts like this survey are key opportunities to let the federal government know that our industry warrants its support and recognition.

If you're called upon to volunteer, you'll only need to spend a few minutes each month to provide information on a selection of your organizations’ transactions. All data is used for statistical purposes only and in aggregated form, so no individual firm is identifiable. See www.bls.gov/respondents/ppi for more information about participating in the survey.

You'll be assigned an economist who will help you not only to report prices but to be your information source on PPI data.

The collection of this data is a big step forward for our growing industry and will secure our place as a long-term player in the U.S. economy, as we already know we are! Please do your part to help us achieve this goal.