We are excited to announce the release of three short videos highlighting the economic, environmental, and social benefits of community composting, created by ILSR’s Composting for Community Initiative for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To accompany the videos, EPA has created a Community Composting page with the help of ILSR. This is a significant step towards national recognition of the importance of community composting and EPA’s commitment to equitable climate and soil solutions that put community benefits first.
These short, accessible videos posted on EPA’s YouTube channel showcase the diversity of location, age, size, community, and operation of community composters. Feel free to share with your network, embed in your website, and use in your training materials. We also developed a series of graphics highlighting these same benefits, to be downloaded and used with attribution.
Local Environmental Benefits
The environmental benefits of community composting include reduction of food waste, soil rejuvenation, carbon sequestration, emission reductions, building climate resilience, and more.
This video features footage and interviews from BK ROT, Baltimore Compost Collective, Compost Crew, Hidden Harvest Farm, Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, and ECO City Farms
“With our Community Compost Initiative, we use our solar powered trikes in order to collect food scraps, food waste, from the community, and return it back in the form of healthy greens and vegetables. It’s all, you know, a closed loop.” – Nicholas Koopman (Radix Ecological Sustainability Center)
Local Social Benefits
The social benefits of community composting include education, strengthening of community ties, cultural restoration, improved access to healthy food and green space, and more.
This video features footage and interviews from BK ROT, Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, LA Compost, ECO City Farms, and Baltimore Compost Collective
“Youth of color especially have a lot of anxiety around the impacts of climate change, it will be a problem we can’t escape. You’re just sitting there thinking, I can’t really do anything about the situation. It’s out of my hands. This work physically puts the power back into the hands of young people. ” – Karina Santara (BK ROT)
Local Economic Benefits
The economic benefits of community composting include job creation, small business development, workforce education, support of local circular economies, and more.
This video features footage and interviews from Hidden Harvest Farm, Radix Ecological Sustainability Center, ECO City Farms, LA Compost, Fertile Ground Cooperative, Rust Belt Riders, Food Plus Detroit, Compost Power, Truly Living Well, BK ROT, Compost Crew, and Happy Trash Can
“We were the first company to offer food scraps collections here in our community. Our end goal was always to partner with the city. We want to strategically invest our dollars to create a robust composting organics recycling program that will have long term benefits for years to come.” – Ryan Green (Happy Trash Can Compost)
Additional Resources
- EPA: Community Composting
- ILSR: What is Community Composting?
- ILSR: Infographic: Compost Impacts More Than You Think
- ISLR: Poster: What is Composting?
Header image: Youth employees process food scraps at BK ROT, an NYC community composter. Photo credit: ILSR.
