ILSR’s Guide to International Compost Awareness Week: Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost

  • May 1, 2025
  • Jordan Ashby, Prerana Narahari
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  • Article
  • Composting for Community
  • Community Composting
  • Home Composting
  • Climate and Environmental Justice
  • Food Security
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    Poster Credit: Abbie Sawyer, ICAW 2025 Poster Contest Winner

    Happy International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), running from May 4 – 10, 2025!

    Whether you’re already composting, using a compost service, or just starting to explore how to turn food scraps into rich, living soil, you’re in the right place.

    ICAW began with a simple mission: to raise public awareness about the power of composting to build healthier soil, reduce waste, and strengthen our communities. Today, it has blossomed into a global movement, with people across the U.S. and around the world coming together for a week of hands-on education, creative initiatives, and community action.

    7-Day Self-Guided Curriculum

    Here at ILSR, we’re embracing this incredible opportunity by curating a special 7-day mini curriculum where you’ll unlock new insights and practical steps. Whether it’s understanding the science of composting, learning how to start your own compost pile, discovering community composting hubs, or exploring the broader environmental benefits of composting, by the end of the week, you’ll have the knowledge and confidence to kick off your composting journey, either at home or by getting involved with your local community composter.

    And don’t worry—this resource isn’t disappearing when the week is over. Bookmark this page and come back anytime to refresh your knowledge, share with friends, or dig even deeper into the world of composting.

    Ready to get your hands dirty? Let’s dive in and start composting!

    Let's Compost!

  • Let’s start at the very beginning: What exactly is compost, and how does composting work? Today, we’ll unpack the basics and discover how organic waste transforms into nutrient-rich soil.

    Start Here

    Take Action

    • Look for a composting program near you. Not sure where to start? Check out our Community Composting Map.
    • Learn what is compostable, and which are “browns” versus “greens” with our learning activity on Identifying Compostable Materials (you can scale down to smaller containers and use a few of the sample materials).

    Dig Deeper

  • Ready to roll up your sleeves? Today is all about the “how” – from what to toss in your bin to maintaining a healthy compost pile.

    Start Here

    Take Action

    Dig Deeper

    • Want to learn how to set up a community-based composting project? Check out our Community Composting 101 course! If cost is a barrier, reach out for individual or bulk scholarships.

  • Composting isn’t just great for your garden—it’s a climate solution, too! Learn how composting restores soil and supports ecosystems.

    Start Here

    Take Action

    • See the powers of compost at work with our learning activity on “Demonstrating the Water-holding Benefits of Compost.”

    Dig Deeper

  • Composting does more than divert waste—it builds community power and advances environmental justice. Today, we’ll explore how composting connects neighbors, creates local jobs, and helps communities take control of their resources and environment. Particularly for Black and brown communities affected by environmental racism, food apartheid, and disproportionate effects of climate change, local composting can serve as a way to put power back into their own hands.

    Start Here

    Take Action

    Dig Deeper

  • Composting grows gardens and green jobs! Discover how composting creates economic opportunities close to home. Follow along today to learn how composting strengthens local economies.

    Start Here

    Take Action

    Dig Deeper

  • No backyard? No problem! Community composers make composting accessible to everyone. Find one near you using our Community Composter Map, or start one in your neighborhood!

    Start Here

    Take Action

    Dig Deeper

  • You’ve made it through the week! Today, we broaden our horizons. Composting isn’t just about food scraps and soil. It’s about community, creativity, and culture. It’s a living, breathing cycle that can inspire art, storytelling, and connection across generations.

    Composting helps enliven spaces – gardens, community hubs, and schoolyards; spaces where people of all ages come together. These sites are not just about growing plants, they are about growing relationships, creativity, and new ways of seeing the world.

    Start Here

    • Watch: Our Racial Justice Storytelling Project, where young artists and activists use poetry and performance to share the power of composting for racial justice, climate resilience, and community joy.
    • Explore: BK ROT × Big Green Theater Collaboration: Learn how Brooklyn’s BK ROT teamed up with Big Green Theater to train local artists and youth to use theater to tell composting and environmental justice stories.

    Take Action

    • Create something compost-inspired! Whether it’s a painting, poem, short play, dance, or sculpture made from natural materials, let the cycles of compost spark your imagination.
    • Organize “Garden Story Days” where older adults share planting traditions and young people respond with their own art or performances. Composting spaces naturally bring together elders, kids, families, and newcomers. How can you deepen that?

  • Contamination can be a challenge, but many strategies can successfully reduce contamination. Check out our Reducing Contamination at Composting Sites Webinar Series:

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    Want to show your ICAW pride?

    Share our “Why Compost?” graphics on social media!