Election Day always has an impact on the compost industry as we watch policies, alignments, and priorities of each administration unfold. USCC's lobbyist, Carpi and Clay, is providing us with a first look at some of the impacts.

 

The biggest news is obviously the presidential election, with former President Donald Trump returning to the White House. Although our industry has already experienced a Trump presidency, we can’t expect with certainty that this new administration’s efforts will be similar to President-elect Trump’s first term.

 

Click the link below to read the full article and access the elections report.

 Join us at COMPOST2025 for education sessions that will empower and inspire you! Dive deep into the industry's latest trends with sessions covering everything from innovative composting technology, policy impacts, and market development. With more than 30 expert-led sessions tailored to address challenges and opportunities in compost production and usage, you will gain practical insights and new strategies. These sessions are designed to equip attendees with actionable information that can be applied at your facility, helping you stay ahead in the dynamic field of composting.

 

Click the button below to navigate our interactive program and see for yourself!

 

The USCC is happy to announce the results of our annual Board of Directors Elections for the 2025 term. The Board welcomes two new members and four returning members.

 

Newcomers Kate Sullivan and Melissa Filiaggi will join the USCC Board of Directors representing compost manufacturers, bringing new perspectives from years of industry experience. Kate Sullivan is a product manager at McGill Environmental Systems. She is also chair of the USCC State Chapter Advisory Committee and board treasurer of the North Carolina Composting Council. Melissa Filiaggi is the division chief of operations at Maryland Environmental Services and has more than a decade of experience in recycling and composting in the government sector.

 

Click the button below for further changes to the Board for 2025.

Want to save some money on COMPOST2025 registration? We have several ways you can save money on attending our conference & trade show in Phoenix.

 

We first recommend registering during our Early Bird period, which ends Wednesday, Nov. 20. Members and non-members can save more than $100 on their registration. Special Attendance discounts can also be applied to the Early Bird rate.

 

If you’re in a bit of a financial strain but still want to attend, you can apply for one of 10 $1,000 scholarships, designated for attendees who show financial need and work on projects to expand composting in areas with limited access. You can also sign up to be a volunteer and receive free admission to all educational sessions and Demo Day.

 

Click the link below to learn more about our options.

Since 2006, the USCC has hosted the largest live equipment demonstrations for the composting, mulch and wood recycling industry in the United States. Demo Day continues to grow with the compost industry, and we expect the Demo Day 2025 attendance to reflect that. This is a one-of-a-kind experience, so don’t miss your chance to be apart of it.

 

Each group of machines – grinders and shredders, screens, windrow turners, and support equipment – will have dedicated time slots to run. This is to allow for ample opportunities to connect with attendees and customers between demonstrations.

 

The cost to participate will vary, based on USCC Membership, COMPOST2025 Expo Participation and the equipment sales price. Discounted rates are made available for early bird registration, USCC Members and for companies that are also exhibiting at the trade show.

 

For more information on transportation and how to register, click the button below to access our Demo Day page for demonstrators.

This is the US Composting Council's Compost Policy Pulse update for October 2024.

 

USCC Compost Market Manager Sam Dixon joins Linda this month to share news from our Texas and Arizona state chapters. We also share some updates to the Public Policy Program and the USCC's position regarding BPI's petition to the National Organic Standards Board.

 

These updates are brought to our members from our Public Policy and Lobbying Program, and the Legislative and Environmental Affairs Committee – a member committee that meets monthly to discuss legislation, regulation, issues, and programs.

On Oct. 2, the Illinois Food Scrap & Composting Coalition, the USCC’s Illinois state chapter, coordinated a tour at USCC member Patriot Acres’ Des Plaines compost facility. IFSCC Board Chair John Lardner and his partners, Drew and Todd Daniels, hosted the tour.

 

Legislators in attendance were Illinois Senate Leader Laura Murphy, state Rep. Michelle Mussman, and state Rep. Bob Morgan’s outreach director Dominik Bronakowski. The tour focused on state issues of importance to the environment, with composting seen as instrumental to the legislators’ goal of zero waste in the state.

 

Click the button below to learn more about the tour on the IFSCC’s blog post.

We have the tools you can use.
In almost any field, the most successful professionals and organizations are those committed to continuous learning and professional development. For some, that means constantly building knowledge specific to a job role. For others, it may include earning a credential or gaining leadership skills. The USCC offers a full range of professional development opportunities to fuel your career growth and composting knowledge.

 

Join us in person at COMPOST2025 where you can earn continuing education credits by attending workshops, tours, conference sessions, the Annual Meeting, and Demo Day!

 

Register for courses online at Compost University™ where you’ll find topics on cultivating business and composting skills, strategic thinking and succession planning to learning about maintaining your equipment, beefing up on compost standards, and the basics of specifications.

 

Consider USCC Certifications, the hallmark of a committed composting professional held by operators and business owners across the country.

 

USCC Professional Development program includes a wide variety of activities that fit your schedule and learning plan. Click the button below to learn more.

 

The US Composting Council - Learn here. Grow here. THRIVE here.™

We’re about a third of the way through our 2024-25 STA Cycle and are excited to have new companies and facilities joining the program. Welcome these new additions to our network of STA Certified™ composters:

 

 •  Amigos Compost - Amarillo, Texas
 •  J. Pettiecord Inc. - Bondurant, Iowa
 •  Monte Vista Dairy - Weld County, Colorado
 •  Sunshine Organics & Compost - Jacksonville, Florida 
 •  Agresource - Ipswich, Massachusetts 
 •  Coastal Environmental Partnership  - New Bern, North Carolina
 •  McGill Environmental Systems, Fairless Hills Facility - Morrisville, Pennsylvania
 •  Atlas Organics, Tampa North Facility - San Antonio, Florida

 

With a growing number of compost companies expressing interest in joining the program, we’re excited to continue expanding the program! Interested in hearing more about STA? Click the button below.

The Florida Composting Council partnered with the University of Florida's IFAS Extension to host the Compost Research and Education Foundation’s Compost Operations Training Course from Oct. 28-Nov. 1. Attendees from all over the U.S. heard from industry and education experts on the science and art of running a successful composting facility.

In addition to educational classroom sessions, the class toured several composting facilities throughout the week and built their own compost piles from a selection of feedstocks.

CREF’s next COTC will take place March 10-14 in San Diego. Click the button below to learn more and register.

We are thrilled to highlight Brendan “Baba” Baba as November’s YP of the Month! Baba is the CEO and co-founder of Epic Renewal.  

 

Baba started truly getting involved in compost entirely by chance, but it has grown into a deep passion over the years. Baba and his co-founder Tess first launched Epic Renewal in Los Angeles shortly after moving to the city and encountering accessibility challenges to recycling in their apartment, including wanting to find a responsible way to handle their food scraps. This reality spurred a desire to find innovative solutions for organics diversion, a mission that continues to grow more complex as Baba explores further corners within the industry.

 

Click the button below to learn more about Baba and Epic Renewal.

Are you attending COMPOST2025? Do you like giving back to the local community and connecting with others? We have the perfect opportunity for you!

 

On Monday, Jan. 27, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we’ll be gathering at the Garfield Neighborhood Garden, just a short four-minute drive, or 20-minute walk, from the Convention Center. 

 

The mission of the Garfield Neighborhood Garden is to provide community members access to urban garden space, and support the production of healthy food, and to promote sustainable gardening practices by educating young people and adults about the benefits of gardening while building community. We’ll be tackling essential garden tasks like turning compost piles, weeding, planting, and preparing the garden for the upcoming spring season. No experience is needed, and gardening equipment will be provided. It’s a fun and easy way to get outdoors, build connections, and make a difference.

 

Click the button below to learn more and register today.

We’re thrilled to announce applications are open for this year’s Emerging Composter Competition! The ECC is a business pitch competition for entrepreneurs eager to grow their businesses in the organics recycling space. This year’s challenge runs from Oct. 22 to Nov. 21, with the final round happening live at COMPOST2025, where the top three finalists will win cash prizes!

 

Are you attending COMPOST2025 with an innovative idea or business that could shape the future of organics recycling and the composting industry? Pitch to industry experts and gain national exposure by participating in ECC. This challenge is an ideal platform for emerging composters to share ideas and build valuable connections.

 

Are you a passionate Young Professional looking to connect with like-minded individuals in the composting industry? Look no further! We invite you to join our vibrant and engaging Slack community.

 

By joining our Slack, you'll have the opportunity to:

 -  Connect with fellow Young Professionals across the country
 -  Share ideas, insights, and resources
 -  Network with industry leaders and experts
 -  Stay up-to-date with the latest news, events, and opportunities
 -  Participate in dynamic discussions and collaborative projects

 

It's easy to get started! Simply click on the button below to join our Slack community and start connecting with fellow Young Professionals today.

In January 2024, Let's Go Compost began working with the Phoenix Herpetological Sanctuary to find a waste solution for their facility to handle inedible food donations, enclosure bedding, and manure. Beginning first with education, Let’s Go Compost was able to provide workshops and materials connecting PHS’s conservation efforts to the impact a zero organic waste facility could have on the reptiles and animals they serve, both locally and globally. From books to compost tumblers to visual aids for facilities tours showcasing PHS’s efforts to compost, the facility began their zero-waste journey with full steam ahead.

 

Thanks to a generous sponsorship by WeCare Denali in May 2024, all organic waste is now being composted from PHS's site at the WeCare Denali City of Phoenix Composting Facility. An estimated 3,187.2 pounds of organic waste is now being composted each week, translating to 165,734.4 pounds per year. Not only will discarded vegetation and bedding now be turned into nutrient-rich soil, but the site is now reducing their greenhouse gas emissions by 177.35 tons of CO₂e annually, the same as removing 38 passenger vehicles from the road with a water footprint of 3.41 million gallons, equivalent to five olympic swimming pools.

Mecklenburg County has been recognized for its environmental stewardship efforts. The Solid Waste and Recycling division received the North Carolina Rising Environmental Steward of the Year Award from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Stewardship Initiative (ESI) at its annual meeting. 

 

ESI supports agencies that implement practices to reduce their impact on the environment. Membership in ESI’s Rising Steward Program recognizes Solid Waste’s commitment to going above and beyond what is required by law. Solid Waste has been part of the voluntary program for five years and has received exemplary ratings for every annual audit.

On Oct. 4, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection announced new grant availability for nonprofit organizations helping to fight hunger in the state. Grants up to $50,000 – through the Food Recovery Infrastructure Grant program – are available to nonprofit organizations who partner with food retailers/wholesalers to recover safe and wholesome foods and then make that food available to the public.

 

Grant applications must be submitted through the Electronic Single Application web site at grants.pa.gov. Applications must be received by Feb. 28, 2025 by 11:59 p.m. ET, to be eligible for funding. Click the button below for more information.

Join the City of Missoula's Wastewater Division as a compost operator, where you'll play a vital role in transforming organic waste into nutrient-rich compost! If you're passionate about sustainability and enjoy hands-on work, this is your chance to contribute to a greener future while honing your equipment operation and maintenance skills in a dynamic team environment. Dive into a rewarding position that makes a real difference in our community!

Do you want to participate in next year’s International Compost Awareness Week, May 4 -10, 2025?  Become an ICAW Volunteer Coordinator! Our coordinators help plan events and activities in their communities, cities, or throughout their states. We have volunteers across the country but can always use more. If you would like to learn what it means to be an ICAW Volunteer Coordinator, click the button below to the dedicated volunteer page or send us an email at info@compostfoundation.org.

How does compostable packaging break down in the real world, and how is this measured? Field testing compostable packaging is a highly niche topic. CREF co-founded the international Compostable Field Testing Program in 2016, a research initiative bringing field testing to composters across North America. Closed Loop Partners invited the Compostable Field Testing Program to share insights from field testing experiences alongside the Composting Consortium and Compost Manufacturing Alliance – the three organizations most active in field testing for compostability during the past decade. Find out what these organizations have to say about the relevance of field testing in today's composting landscape, and what these studies show about compostable packaging by clicking the button below.

 

DETROIT, Oct. 10, 2024 — The city is expected to launch a composting program for food scraps next year with $100,000 in support from Carhartt. The grant will be used for resident supplies and education resources, and to prepare a site for compost drop-offs.

 

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2024 — The New York Times Wirecutter published an article on food recyclers, also known as countertop composters, and the controversy surrounding their claims of producing compost.

 

The writer details her experience using six different food recyclers and testing their "compost" at an agricultural lab. She also conducted plant germination and growth tests using the finished products.

 

Click the link below for more details on these tests and the conclusions she reached.

 

NEW YORK, Oct. 10, 2024 — Q2 Stadium, home to Major League Soccer club Austin FC, stands at a 90% diversion rate, a huge bump from a few years ago when a waste audit showed that about half of the divertible materials were landing in the trash. Alongside that leap, contamination has plunged from 22% to just under 7% in two years.

 

Over time, the fans did a bulk of the work, seeing that their drink containers, plates, trays, cutlery, and food scraps ended up in the right receptacles. Overall, they have done pretty well, but there had to be a way to do better, figured Texas Disposal Systems, which worked with the stadium along its sustainability journey since the venue came up off the ground. The notion of a system located at one central site where workers further separated the onslaught of after-game materials made sense.

 

GREENWICH, Conn., Oct. 10, 2024 — Greenwich’s municipal food scrap recycling program has surpassed a significant milestone with more than half a million pounds of organic materials collected. This voluntary drop-off program diverts household food waste from the trash and converts it to nutrient-rich compost, rather than incinerating the organic material as trash, a polluting and costly process.