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 From the Top of the Pile
The Compost Conference is my favorite time of the year and it’s hard to believe that we are just 136 days away. We are thrilled to have some fantastic presenters this year. I am excited to invite all of our members to attend COMPOST2023, our 31st Annual Conference, Tradeshow and Equipment Demonstration Day. Registration will launch Monday Sept. 12. With over 100 speakers, the world's largest live compost equipment demonstration, over 100 exhibitors, and multiple workshops and tours, COMPOST2023 will have something for everyone! There will be program tracts on policy, compost research, operations, marketing compost and this year a unique California tract. USCC members get exclusive early access at the lowest pricing available until Nov. 1.
This year we are thrilled to be hosting a Composter Community Forum, multiple workshops, a full day tour of five unique compost facilities, and our massive equipment demonstration day (demo day). We are honored to host our closing keynote speaker Michael Martinez Founder of LA Compost. Michael is a former elementary school teacher, a father of two, and the Founder and Executive Director of LA Compost. Michael has grown LA Compost from a group of volunteers collecting organics using bikes, to a decentralized network of community compost hubs that span across the most populated county in the country. LA Compost now oversees over 40 compost hubs, all in partnership with existing communities, nonprofits, and organizations committed to healthy ecosystems inclusive of food access and healthy community engagement. The mission of LA Compost is to restore lost connections to the soil and one another.
USCC NEWS
A big thank you to all our current STA participant in getting the renewals done on time. The gateway database will be closed for maintenance and upgrade in the next few days. Those who are not done submitting the contract please submit the contract before the shutdown.
Welcome to our new STA participant City of Boise Public works, Idaho. Their Twenty Mile South Compost Facility is new addition to the STA program.
Boise has been composting since June 2017, and the program has been an overwhelming success. Since the launch, we have collected over 70,000 tons of compostable material! Completed compost is available at our pick-up sites at the Idaho Botanical Garden and Joplin Rd. Residents can pick-up two cubic yards per year for free. In this video, Sydney Bennet explains composting process.
To learn more about of City of Boise composting program, follow the link below.
 Three seats are open for election to the 2023 Board, which is seated January 1, 2023, for two Compost Manufacturers and one Affiliate, each with three year terms.
The prospective nominee should review “Board Member Roles and Responsibilities” and “Code of Ethics Policy” before submitting his or her nomination. Please submit via email to: nominations@compostingcouncil.org
This is the only valid email address where the official Nomination Form can be accepted. Upon receipt of your nomination, you will be asked to complete a short video introducing yourself and your goals for the industry.
We ask that you give serious consideration to running or nominating a peer. For more information about the Board, follow the link below.
Ulster County Resource Recovery Agency is making it easy for Kingston, NY residents by offering multiple drop off programs to divert food scraps from the landfill. With almost 40% of their community participating, they have proven a self-sustaining model while also accepting food and yard waste from neighboring municipalities.
To learn more about their program at the Target Organics Hub Case Study, follow the link below.
ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY BRIEFS
The State of Vermont became a leader for states passing legislation to remove food scraps as part of landfill organic waste with its Universal Recycling Law. As of July 1, 2020, organics pickup had to be offered by haulers in Vermont, relying on the food waste hierarchy for outlets for that material, tripling the amount of food that was rescued.
While composters originally saw a lot of business from the law, depackaging (equipment removing packaging waste from food scraps) systems began in the region that allowed large generators such as grocery stores to commingle all waste along with food scraps, leading many to cancel their contracts with composters. This was because composters were requiring source-separated material to produce quality compost. Much of the non-food waste from the depackagers has been routinely landfilled.
STATE CHAPTER NEWS
 California
https://www.facebook.com/Association-of-Compost-Producers-202876326423212/ https://healthysoil.org/ Colorado
https://www.facebook.com/COcompostingcouncil https://www.recyclecolorado.org/composting-council Iowa
https://www.facebook.com/IowaCompostingCouncil/ https://iowarecycles.org/iowa-composting-council Michigan https://michiganrecycles.org/organics/ North Carolina
https://www.facebook.com/nccompostingcouncil https://carolinacompost.com/ Tennessee https://www.facebook.com/TNCompostingCouncil https://www.tncompostingcouncil.com/
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Grab your drink and connect with fellow YP members to share your ideas, diversify your business network, and create new connections in the compost industry.
MEMBER NEWS
New Terra Compost is participating in a competition with a prize of $50,000. The field has already been narrowed down from 150 to just 10, and we need your vote to secure our place in the top 5! The voting takes one minute, you can only vote once, and it closes on Friday. OPPORTUNITIES, JOBS AND GRANTS
In the U.S., more than one-third of all available food goes uneaten through loss or waste. Public and private organizations are creating solutions to address food loss and waste throughout the food system: from farm to table.
On Sept. 14, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. ET, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will host the 2nd USDA Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair, which will showcase some of the latest food loss and waste mitigation technologies, innovations, and programs developed by USDA, academic institutions, local governments, and businesses. This free, virtual event is perfect for businesses, nonprofits, researchers, and food sector leaders, as well as individuals who want to know about the latest developments in reducing food loss and waste.
Follow the link below to register for the 2nd USDA Food Loss and Waste Innovation Fair. Be sure to share this notice with your friends, family, and colleagues—all are invited to attend! Registration is easy and only requires an an email address.
USCC is working towards building a new career site to connect our stakeholders with job seekers. This career center will help connect young professionals, mentees, professional certification program participants in various ways. This is one of the biggest benefits of USCC membership. USCC is working on capturing data related to jobs in the composting industry and education.
Rotochopper specializes in profitable, sustainable solutions that transform waste materials into premium products like colored mulch, animal bedding and compost. As a factory-direct, employee-owned company, we are uniquely focused on continuing to meet and exceed our customer’s needs. We pride ourselves on our continued commitment to St. Martin and the small communities that surround it. Our people are the foundation of Rotochopper and this community has provided some of the best. Further information is available at www.rotochopper.com.
CREF NEWS
The CREF Board of Trustees has chosen researchers from the University of Minnesota to do its latest research project, “A Review and Analysis of Compost Used in Stormwater Bioretention Systems.” The group from the university, led by Andy Erickson, PhD, PE, will be doing a review of the current research literature identifying what has been accomplished, specific gaps, and ultimately research needs to accurately answer important question regarding compost used in stormwater bioretention systems.
 The annual ICAW 2023 Poster Contest has started, and we are waiting to receive your poster contest designs. This is a fun activity and a great way to get the word out about ICAW and its goal: building public awareness about organics recycling and compost use.
Visit the link below to learn more, and please share with those who would be intersted in participating!
Upcoming Events
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The COMPOST2023 Tradeshow currently 85% SOLD OUT. COMPOST2023 will allow you to market to 800+ member organizations and potential customers representing more than 2,100 individuals. You will have the opportunity to engage with the 900+ daily visitors to the trade show. If you are interested in exhibiting at COMPOST2023, now is the time to signup for a booth as they are selling out quickly. 
The TNCC is cosponsoring a campaign with Vanderbilt University and the Tennessee Environmental Council. The idea is for soil health fans to purchase “tidy whities” and bury them over Labor Day Weekend 2022. In one year, Vanderbilt University researchers will have the volunteers dig them up and turn them over for breakdown analysis.
It has been exciting to watch our chapters getting back to work with tours, compost giveaways, workshops and in-person events. We’ve been amazed watching these volunteers bring the message about the benefits of compost through summits and conferences!
The Young Professionals Webinar Committee hosted a panel discussion on Tuesday, Sept. 6, titled “Starting a Composting Company: Lessons from the Experts.” The virtual event featured three compost industry leaders who shared insights on their experiences as entrepreneurs and different business models they utilized to grow their companies and gain the recognition they have today.
Preparations are underway for the next installation of the Emerging Composter Challenge at COMPOST2023 in Ontario, California.
This summer, CREF added the Education Committee to its list of current committees. The goal of this committee will be to oversee CREF’s current training and educational programs and to make plans for additional educational opportunities in the future. Since education is a core focus of the Foundation, the guidance from this dedicated group of experienced committee members will be a huge help now and in years to come. Debra Darby, from Tetra Tech, is the committee chair, assisted by vice-chair, Monica Ozores-Hampton and Lorrie Loder-Rossiter, secretary.
