In 2014, ILSR’s Composting for Community Initiative launched the Neighborhood Soil Rebuilders (NSR) composter training program to teach community leaders how to compost on a small-scale for local food production and to adapt the rigor of commercial composting industry practices to the small scale.… Read More
Overview One organization in Chicago has figured out how to extract value from resources that the economy deems useless. The Resource Center works by coupling valuable resources that would otherwise become trash with valuable workers who would otherwise be unemployed. Their work ultimately minimizes the waste the city produces and creates good jobs that enhance the … Read More
This webinar covered rat biology and behavior, and explored compost best management practices (BMPs) that help projects avoid rats.… Read More
On Monday, May 22nd, 2017, the Frederick Compost Workgroup hosted the Frederick Compost Summit at Fox Haven Educational Farm. ILSR’s Composting for Community project co-sponsored the summit along with Frederick Zero Waste Alliance, Fox Haven Farm, and others. ILSR staff made opening remarks, presented composting options for the county (including our new hierarchy to reduce food … Read More
Check out this story from Maryland’s Frederick News Post: “Frederick County isn’t wasting time waiting to talk about trash. A group of concerned citizens have set up an event to gather local leaders, farmers and residents in one room to discuss better ways to deal with food waste in the county’s waste stream.”… Read More
Twelve and a half years ago, Frederick County proposed to build a 1,500 ton-per-day garbage incinerator to manage its waste. The County was forced to kill the proposal 2.5 years ago when organized citizens pointed out the financial risks. The City of Frederick, with 70,000 of the County’s 250,000 population, its own collection crews, landfill and … Read More
In the wake of scores of legislative action in Maryland, the Institute for Local Self-Reliance’s composting team saw a big victory with Maryland Governor Larry Hogan’s signature on two pieces of legislation that would enable a better infrastructure for organics recycling. Read the report from Cole Rosengren in Waste Dive.… Read More
On Thursday, May 4th, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan signed two bills to advance composting in Maryland. One will bolster recovery of food waste and other organic materials by expanding infrastructure in the state. The other will reduce contamination at compost sites by preventing the false labeling of plastics as compostable or biodegradable. In signing the bills, which were among dozens of environmental bills passed by the Maryland legislature in 2017, Governor Hogan thanked the state’s elected officials for the real bipartisan effort in passing laws to “protect our soil, our air, and our water… and grow the investment in jobs in our state.”
HB171/SB99, the “Yard Waste and Food Residuals Diversion and Infrastructure Act,” requires the Maryland Department of the Environment to study and report on existing compost manufacturing infrastructure in Maryland, as well as laws in other states that divert food scraps and organics, and to then recommend how to improve infrastructure and funding opportunities to expand composting in the Maryland. The bill requires the Department to consult with the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, along with a number of ILSR’s allies including the MD-DC Compost Council, the American Biogas Council, the Maryland Horse Council, the Chesapeake Foodshed Network, the Chesapeake Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, and the Chesapeake Sustainable Business Council.… Read More
In Building Local Power this week, we’re delving into the potential community-based composting holds to empower historically marginalized communities in cities across the United States. … Read More
