Membership Dues for 2022/23 Annouced
This year, we have hosted 10 webinars covering subjects from Municipal Parks & Composting to a three-part series on compostable products aimed at compost manufacturers. We also hosted nearly a dozen happy hours, as well as monthly Young Professionals Group happy hours. We also saw the return of our in-person annual conference and tradeshow. The USCC saw near-record turnout in attendance with a mix of workshops, sessions, and exhibition & demonstration of equipment.
New Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) Database: Over the last 12 months, our team has been working to build a new technology that will streamline your engagement with the STA program, safely secure your details, and support you in maintaining good standing with the STA program. The new technology is a compost manufacturer's gateway to everything in the program. From renewals to adding new products or derivatives of products, you will have one place to keep track of your invoices, certificates, test results, permits and more. Phase 1 of the new technology for launching STA Renewals has launched.
Industry Development: Model Compost Rules Template and Model Zoning efforts produced templates for zoning and operating compost facilities in the US. Several U.S. states (including Maryland, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Missouri, Mississippi) have used or are using this template to update their compost permitting regulations. We hope to have the updated Model Compost Rules Template 2.0 out in the beginning of Q3 2022. USCC’s Model Zoning Template went live in December of 2021.
The USCC’s Corporate Compost Leadership Council (CCLC) has funded and launched the Target Organics Hub, a collection of resources designed to educate people on how to start a compost operation in partnership with a municipality. The CCLC has also funded a Composting Industry Economic Study that is currently underway. This study will give the industry our first look at the environmental and economic impacts that compost manufacturing has in the United States. Because of this effort, our advocacy efforts will have hard data to back up what we already know: that compost has economic and environmental co-benefits that should be nationwide.
Advocacy: We have led advocacy for the compost industry on local and national levels. The COMPOST Act got us a seat at the table and, though it was not funded, it has given us opportunities for inclusion in the Build Back Better bill and the Farm Bill (2022). Beyond our work with the US Composting Infrastructure Coalition and national advocacy, we have rebuilt our advocacy web pages and launched our Advocacy Toolkit.
Online Learning: The USCC is partnering with Vermeer Corporation to launch our online learning management system (LMS), COMPOSTU. This platform will house all of our webinars, compost operations training, conference recordings, and much more. This platform will launch in the first half of 2022.
Updated membership benefits: Periodically the USCC re-evaluates what we offer to our members. Be on the lookout for revised benefits starting on July 1, 2022.
Your membership dues support all of this work, with membership accounting for about one-third of the USCC’s annual operating budget, including paying staff and contractors. It is because of your membership and participation that we can continue to advocate for the compost industry.
Memberships with the US Composting Council are almost entirely tax deductible as a business expense. You may count your membership dues as a deductible expense. The USCC has been increasing its work with advocacy and lobbying. As a result, three percent of your membership dues are not allowed to be claimed as a deduction.
The new membership dues will be as follows:
| Student | $32.00 |
|---|---|
| Advocate | $80.00 |
| Individual | $170.00 |
| Basic | $285.00 |
| Bronze | $450.00 |
| Silver | $840.00 |
| Gold | $1,680.00 |
| Platinum | $3,350.00 |
| Sustaining | $5,565.00 |
| Benefactor | $11,100.00 |
Please don't hesitate to contact our Membership Manager Eric Hudiburg, ehudiburg@compostingcouncil.org, with any questions.
Sincerely,
Frank Franciosi
Executive Director