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 From the Top of the Pile The Environmental Research & Education Foundation (EREF) has released a new report entitled Composting State of Practice: Results from a National Operations Survey. This comprehensive survey, conducted in collaboration with the US Composting Council (USCC) and the Desert Research Institute (DRI), offers a look into the current state of composting operations across the United States.
The report, based on responses from more than 300 composting facilities, provides valuable insights into the design capacities, production levels, and regional trends in organic material composting. It is a crucial resource for understanding the dynamics of the U.S. composting industry in 2024.
USCC NEWS
What's the composting industry's—and your own—DEIA maturity?
The best, future-minded organizations are evaluating their processes and cultures to ensure that all voices are heard, all employees get equal access, and they are attractive to a wide diversity of talent in today's world.
USCC is providing a free study in March to evaluate not only how the industry as a whole is doing, but giving your organization a chance to anonymously find out how you are doing in comparison with others in the compost industry.
The Composting Consortium and its Industry Partner, USCC, invite you to attend the virtual launch of the report, Don’t Spoil the Soil: The Challenge of Contamination at Composting Facilities. This webinar, scheduled for Wednesday, February 28 at 1 p.m. EST, will unveil, for the first time, the results of a national study that measures and characterizes contamination in organic feedstock and finished product—and analyzes the financial cost to composters for handling contamination.
During its annual conference and tradeshow, COMPOST2024, held in Daytona Beach, the US Composting Council (USCC) recognized several different organizations and introduced new award categories at its awards ceremony.
The 2024 USCC Achievement Awards introduced four new categories:
- Top Learner Award - State Chapter Rookie of the Year Award - State Chapter of the Year Excellence Award - Committee of the Year Award Awardees are nominated by peers and honored each year at the US Composting Council's Annual Conference and Tradeshow. The USCC is proud of the outstanding efforts of this year’s group of distinguished awardees and members.
The US Composting Council (USCC) concluded COMPOST2024, its 32nd annual conference, with a remarkable turnout, boasting record attendance. Welcoming 1,530 attendees, the conference commenced with the USCC's annual members meeting, setting the stage for an engaging and informative event. Attendees were treated to seven workshops and two tours, offering invaluable insights into the world of composting. Over the course of two days, speakers delivered presentations across 31 sessions, covering a diverse range of topics and featuring both prominent and emerging voices in the field. The sold-out Exhibit Hall emerged as a hub of activity, drawing in a crowd eager to explore the latest products and services. Meanwhile, the annual awards ceremony honored 13 deserving recipients with prestigious USCC awards, highlighting the industry's unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation. Demo Day at the Tamoka Landfill also broke records with more than 800 in attendance, featuring 37 pieces of equipment demonstrating the latest advancements in composting technology. The success of this year's conference stands as a testament to the growing significance and impact of composting in our world. The US Composting Council thanks volunteers, attendees, speakers, moderators, sponsors, and exhibitors who collectively made COMPOST2024 a reality. 
ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY BRIEFS
The USCC filed comments for the Biden Administration's Draft National Strategy for Reducing Food Loss and Waste and is developing comments on the Environmental Protection Agency's Waste Reduction Model (WARM) v.16 after successfully requesting an extension of the comments deadline to March 9, 2024.
The Environmental Protection Agency's Waste Reduction Model (WARM) is a go-to for many municipal and state solid waste planners, advocates and compost industry members. It is consulted to make decisions about food waste reduction, rescue and composting v. disposal for Climate Action Plans, Greenhouse Gas Emissions statistics and other critical carbon drawdown uses.
Having the components of WARM accurately represent the pathways for organic waste is critical to good planning to mitigate climate change, and compost is a key to those plans. Organic waste–food waste especially—is a large contributor to greenhouse gas emissions; composting inedible food is a way to not only reduce those emissions but also to sequester carbon in soil and plants.
USCC is putting together comments around these areas with the help of scientists and climate planners in the compost industry. We ask you to help by choosing one or more of the recommendations we have made to ask for a more accurate WARM model.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Get the chance to watch and listen to recorded sessions* at COMPOST2024 by purchasing our Conference Recordings Package on Compost University. Get access to more than 80 of our speakers' presentations, including their presentation slides. *Some sessions were not recorded—Mastermind; DEIA Open Discussion and Brainstorm; Chapter Conversations and Compostable Products Afternoon Roundtable Click here to purchase the COMPOST2024 Conference Recordings Package. STATE CHAPTER NEWS
Educate and inspire attendees by speaking at the Florida Composting Council's 2024 Annual Composter Conference. The event takes place at the Wyndham Grand Orlando Resort Bonnet Creek in Orlando, FL, on June 25, 2024.
The Florida Composting Council, a Chapter of the US Composting Council fiscally sponsored by Recycle Florida Today, Inc., will join the conference and host their Annual Composter Conference in partnership with Recycle Florida Today’s conference taking place June 24-26! Make plans to participate in these two events taking place in one great location. Registration opens soon!
The North Carolina Composting Council (NCCC) is proud to introduce its first Executive Director, Kat Polk. Kat lives in Wilmington, NC, and has more than five years of experience as an Executive Director. She’s been active with the Coastal Composting Committee for years and previously managed the model Garbage to Gardens school composting program. Her passion and skills for sustainability, advocacy, nonprofit leadership, program development, and community engagement will help grow NCCC’s capacity and impact throughout North Carolina. Since Spring 2023, Kat has been the NCCC’s communication consultant, including its newsletter and the much-improved NCCC website.
USCC Chapters Receive First-Ever Awards, Partake in Third Annual Education Track & Networking Soiree
The North Carolina Composting Council (NCCC) and Florida Composting Council (FLCC) came home to Super Bowl-like parades (just kidding) after winning the first annual set of Chapter Awards at COMPOST2024.
The North Carolina Composting Council earned the esteemed Chapter of Excellence Award, which is awarded to the chapter that impresses the USCC Nominations Committee with their essay on accomplishments as well as earning points in Best Practices. See North Carolina’s essay here and supplementary information here. The chapter is informed of their win just before the conference and chapter leadership is invited to the exclusive President’s Reception, as well as receiving an award onstage in the Awards Ceremony. Competitors were the Iowa Composting Council and the Colorado Composting Council.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
The USCC Young Professionals kicked off COMPOST2024 with their annual community service event, sponsored by Let's Go Compost. Located at Halifax Urban Ministries (HUM) in Daytona Beach, the YPs engaged in various tasks in HUM’s community garden, shared lunch with community members, and toured the HUM facility before returning to the Convention Center. About the Organization HUM operates two housing programs and two meal programs that serve their local community. The first, Hope Place, provides emergency housing for families with children who have been displaced from their homes by difficult circumstances, and a safe place for homeless unaccompanied youth to live while pursuing an education. They converted the former Hurst Elementary School to emergency housing rooms, transitional apartments for families, and dorm rooms for unaccompanied youth, and offer two balanced and nutritious meals a day to their residents and the broader community in the former cafeteria through Bridge of Hope Daily Hot Meal Program. The conversion is now being used as a model for success across the country!
The Young Professionals Reception and Networking Night, sponsored by Republic Services, was a highlight of COMPOST2024. Held at the Mai Tai Bar on Thursday, February 8, 2024, the event drew over 150 conference attendees who enjoyed networking opportunities and participated in a lively scavenger hunt organized by the YP steering committee. Thank you to all involved for a great evening of connection and collaboration!
A big congratulations to Coryanne Mansell, the chair of the USCC Young Professionals Steering Committee, for being awarded the title of Young Professional of the Year. Coryanne’s dedication and leadership have been instrumental in the success of the YPs, from virtual happy hours to spearheading impactful initiatives like the Emerging Composter Competition. Her recognition is well-deserved, and we applaud her contributions to the USCC community. Are you an experienced composting professional interested in sharing your knowledge and expertise with the next generation of industry leaders? The USCC Young Professionals Committee invites you to sign up as a mentor for their Mentorship Program. Help shape the future of composting by guiding and supporting young professionals in their career journeys. Apply to become a mentor today by filling out the form here. For any inquiries, please reach out to the YP Mentoring Committee at ypmentoring.uscc@gmail.com. MEMBER NEWS
Agromin, California’s largest organic waste recycler, received a $10 million grant from CalRecycle’s Organics Grant Program to help communities turn more of their food waste and yard waste into compost.
CalRecycle’s Organics Grant Program is a statewide effort to expand and build new organic recycling facilities, allowing more waste to be recycled instead of ending up in landfills where it emits greenhouse gases.
“The grant funds will help Agromin move forward on expanding our composting facility at Limoneira Ranch in Santa Paula,” says Bill Camarillo, Agromin CEO. “We’re currently processing over one million tons of organic waste a year. Once the expansion is complete, we’ll be able to boost that amount to almost 300,000.” Agromin’s site sits on 15 acres and accepts only yard waste. Plans are for it to expand to 70 acres and receive food waste as well.
In today’s world, where the importance of responsible waste management is being recognized more than ever, the SMSC Organics Recycling Facility stands as a beacon of progress. Nestled in Shakopee, MN, this Native American-owned composting facility is not just leading the way in organics recycling, but also setting a precedent for environmental stewardship.
Owned and operated by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community (SMSC), the SMSC Organics Recycling Facility’s mission is to recycle organic materials that would have otherwise ended up in landfills. With a focus on creating nutrient-rich compost for gardening, farming, and landscaping purposes, the facility has turned waste into value.
Phoenix-based non-profit Let's Go Compost was among the grantees of the inaugural Stanley Creators Fund, a grant by food and beverage container company Stanley that recognizes creative leaders solving some of their communities' deepest challenges.
Let's Go Compost's mission is to make composting free and accessible throughout the United States, revolutionizing waste management, reducing landfill waste, and combating harmful greenhouse gas emissions. Its community-led programs focus on supporting school and community gardens, working to ensure composting and free food waste drop off sites reach all, irrespective of location or income.
The winners of the raffle from the 2024 Membership Needs Assessment have been revealed. Paul Rosenbohm secured an iPad, while John Phalen earned a free membership. Normand Lavoie, an anonymous winner, and Margaret Zuckweiler were awarded full conference attendance passes for COMPOST2025 in Phoenix, AZ. The USCC Membership Committee extends gratitude to all participants for their time. OPPORTUNITIES, JOBS AND GRANTS
The primary responsibility of the Composting Operator is to perform composting operations at our innovative on-farm Compost Outposts located in Maryland and Virginia. As Composting Operator, you will work closely with our Composting Operations Supervisor to turn food scraps from our customer base into nutrient-rich compost. This includes assisting in the construction of new Compost Outposts, performing weekly composting operations by following all Standard Operating Procedures as specified in the Compost Facility Operating Plan, and supporting the Composting Division with any additional projects or tasks.
IN THE HEADLINES
Source: Nina Sevilla, NRDC
ReFED and NRDC partnered to create a database of federal grants that could be used to fund food waste reduction work.
From ReFED:It can be hard to track and find grants and funding from different federal agencies, so our new federal grants database offers a centralized list of all grants from across the federal government that could potentially fund food waste reduction projects. The database has a row for each relevant grant that includes a description, eligibility, and link to the grant on the federal government's website. Our goal is to accelerate progress towards our national goal and ensure that good food makes it to people’s plates.
Source: Waste360
Compost Crew Inc., A Benefit Corporation more than doubled the number of customers it services across the Greater Washington, D.C. area in 2023. The company recycled over 20 million pounds of food scraps last year, its best total to date. This growth solidified Compost Crew's position as the largest food scrap recycling company in the Mid-Atlantic.
Source: Amber Ainsworth, FOX 2 Detroit
ROYAL OAK, Mich. — Beginning February 24, Royal Oak Sustainability will offer free composting drop-offs from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays. Food scraps will be collected at 316 E. Eleven Mile Rd. While there, residents can buy more food during the Royal Oak Farmers Market, which runs from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. The composting drop-off will be available for three months to gauge interest as the organization works to reduce food waste. Composting food scraps involves recycling waste into fertilizer.
The organization will also be working with Metro Food Rescue to help caterers, schools, and others who have large scale food donations make those donations. This pilot program is the first step in a series of food waste reduction steps. In addition to the composting opportunity, Royal Oak Sustainability is hosting educational workshops for those interested in learning more.
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