Community Composters

ILSR’s Composting for Community Project supports distributed infrastructure and the growing community composting sector. Community-scale composters serve an integral and unique role in both the broader composting industry and the sustainable food movement. They are often social innovators and entrepreneurs. Many collect food scraps with bikes. Others employ youth and marginalized individuals. A growing number utilize cooperative ownership structures. They are located at schools, universities, community gardens, farms, and many other places – urban, rural, and suburban. Their distinguishing feature is keeping the process and product as local as possible while engaging the community through participation and education.

Learn more.

Through our research, networks, and resources, we are documenting the viability of community-scale composting and meeting the need for training, guidance on best management practices, business models, and navigating legal and policy hurdles.

Check out our resources below. Are you a community composter? If so, join our coalition and the conversation!