Food and waste systems are among the most significant contributors to climate change, as evidenced in our breakthrough report, Stop Trashing the Climate. Still, climate action plans generally omit the cross-sectoral benefits of composting and rarely highlight the need for decentralized systems. Composting strategies rooted in and serving local communities will protect the climate while enhancing social equity, economic opportunities, food systems resilience, and quality of life. The path to meeting net-zero carbon emissions offers a unique opportunity to adopt sustainable, far-reaching climate protections while transforming food security and our trash-dependent society.
What's in the Guide
Composting & Climate Action Plans: A Guide for Local Solutions was designed to strengthen climate action plans by incorporating and uplifting local, decentralized composting, a nature-based climate solution with cross-cutting benefits. This resource features template language for climate action plans, including model composting measures (such as policies, strategies, and action steps) and language connecting composting to climate and other co-benefits. Created for policymakers, advocates, and more, the guide reviews background information, current opportunities, strategic and equity considerations, as well as additional tools and resources.
Download the GuideThis guide was adapted from our “Community Composting and Priority Climate Action Plans Guide” to be applicable to climate planning more generally. It provides universal guidance on incorporating local, decentralized composting into climate solutions and climate action plans.
To share these materials under creative commons license, free of cost, we request you credit the Institute for Local Self-Reliance by including the following:
Source: Julia Spector, Composting and Climate Action Plans: A Guide to Local Solutions, Institute for Local Self-Reliance, 2024 (ilsr.org/articles/compost-climate-action-plans). Reprinted with permission.