Community composting

Community composting is a method of composting that sources organic materials from local areas or collects compost, involves the community in the composting process, and uses that compost locally. It is an alternative to traditional composting which is typically done individually, offering a location to deposit compost or services from the community to take organic food waste and compost it for local use. Similar to recycling, this process is a major component in waste reduction. Food scraps and yard trimmings are best kept within communities where they can be composted and returned to local soils in gardens, parks, yards, or farms. Collecting materials and using compost locally reduces greenhouse gas emissions produced from transporting materials and/or distributing compost long distances. Additionally, keeping organic materials out of landfills significantly reduces emissions of methane.

Community composting at Elwood, Melbourne, Australia

The practice of community composting often takes place within towns, cities, and neighborhoods, with most sites located at schools, farms, community gardens, parks and other public lands within community organizations. These communities can range from rural to urban areas. Some sites are smaller compared to larger municipal or commercial composting facilities, often organized by local governments or corporations. The size of the operation is based solely around the needs of the community and its participants, often being organized by different organizational and business models, typically including nonprofits, small businesses, farms, schools, community gardens, and worker-owned cooperatives. The institute for Local Self-Reliance lists six guiding principles for community composting.

1. Resources recovered: Waste is reduced; food scraps and other organic materials are diverted from disposal and composted.
2. Locally based and closed loop: Organic materials are a community asset, and are generated and recycled into compost within the same neighborhood or community.
3. Organic materials returned to soils: Compost is used to enhance local soils, support local food production, and conserve natural ecology by improving soil structure and maintaining nutrients, carbon, and soil microorganisms.
4. Community-scaled and diverse: Composting infrastructure is diverse, distributed, and sustainable; systems are scaled to meet the needs of a self-defined community.
5. Community engaged, empowered, and educated: Compost programming engages and educates the community in food systems thinking, resource stewardship, or community sustainability, while providing solutions that empower individuals, businesses, and institutions to capture organic waste and retain it as a community resource.
6. Community supported: Aligns with community goals (such as healthy soils and healthy people) and is supported by the community it serves. The reverse is true, too; a community composting program supports community social, economic, and environmental well-being.

The Process

Side view of an open composting bin.

There are a variety of composting methods utilized within community composting including three-bin systems, windrows aerated static piles, and vermicomposting.  Regardless of the model, the community composting process typically involves several stages: collection, processing, and distribution. One method is done by having community participants separate their organic waste from other trash and deposit it in designated containers or bins. Volunteers or hired staff will then transport the collected material to a composting site, where it will then undergo decomposition through microbial activity, typically conducted by volunteer or hired members. Once the compost is fully matured, it is distributed back to the community for use in gardens, parks, and landscaping projects.

Issues Being Addressed

Environmental Impact of Organic Material Waste:

Structure of methane

A primary motivation for community composting is to divert organic waste away from landfills. Overtime, organic waste within landfills can produce Methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, due to anaerobic conditions. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of methane emissions from human activities in the United States. Food waste comprises about 24 percent of municipal solid waste disposed of in landfills. The total generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) in 2018 was 292.4 million tons (U.S. short tons, unless specified) or 4.9 pounds per person per day; this was approximately 23.7 million tons more than the 268.7 million tons generated in 2017 and the 208.3 million tons in 1990. Of the MSW generated, approximately 69 million tons were recycled and 25 million tons were composted. Together,  almost 94 million tons of MSW were recycled and composted, equivalent to a 32.1 percent recycling and composting rate. An additional 17.7 million tons of food were managed by other methods. The EPAs report Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste estimated the quantity of methane emissions released into the atmosphere from decaying food waste in municipal solid waste landfills in the United States from 1990 to 2020. Results from the analysis revealed that while total emissions from municipal solid waste landfills are decreasing, methane emissions from landfilled food waste are increasing. Findings from this report illustrate the outsized impact landfilled food waste has on methane emissions. This data confirms that diverting food waste from landfills is an effective way to reduce methane emissions from municipal solid waste landfills.

Challenges

The same issues posed by regular and traditional “backyard” composting, also plague community composting. Scavengers and pests such as raccoons, mice, rats, and other creatures often seek composted items such as meat, poultry, fish, fat, oil, dairy products, bread, grains and bones, presenting unwelcome varmints in community areas. Additionally, healthy compost should emit a rich, “earthy” odor, but may sometimes emit a bad odor, resembling rotten eggs or ammonia. This is often due to reasons such as the compost pile being too wet, the pile lacking enough air (anaerobic), or has too many nitrogen-rich "greens", that being food scraps, coffee grounds and yard clippings, and not enough carbon "browns", such as leaves or cardboard.

As noted by Boise State University, “Community-based composting programs may also face challenges related to regulatory compliance. Depending on the location, there may be local or state regulations governing the management and disposal of organic waste. Composting programs must adhere to these regulations, which can add complexity and cost to the process, which can be a massive burden in areas without an already established program!” Additionally, Boise acknowledges that while their university specific program is well utilized, theirs, and many other systems, may struggle to achieve widespread participation. They believe that many people are interested in composting whereas others may be less enthusiastic in participation for the same challenges posed by regular composting such as pests, odors, or difficulty maintaining a composting pile. However, Boise also acknowledges that for these reasons, community and municipality-based programs “shine over backyard composting” and that despite the challenges, there are strategies that can help communities overcome the downsides of composting, such as partnering with local businesses or organizations to provide funding and resources which could help establish and maintain a community composting program. Additionally, community outreach and education efforts can help address concerns and encourage widespread participation. In regards to issues of pests and odor, organizations such as the DC Parks and Recreation (DPR) Community Compost Cooperative Network uses new critter proof and smell proof compost bins designed by Urban Farm Plans to allow trained community members to compost food scraps with garden waste from DPR and partner DPR gardens to responsibly create high quality compost, for example.

Benefits

Compost enhances soil quality by adding organic matter, providing slow-release plant nutrients, increasing water infiltration and retention, reducing soil erosion, and helping remediate contaminated soils. Compost can be used to help revegetate disturbed land and to manage stormwater runoff. Compost use also sequesters carbon in the soil.

One of the primary benefits to community composting is that it is often cheaper and less resource-intensive as it requires less land and fewer materials as opposed to larger composting options. Composting locally also yields benefits such as social inclusion and empowerment, greener neighborhoods, improved local soils, enhanced food security and fewer food deserts, less truck traffic for the transporting of garbage, more local jobs, and increased composting “know-how” and skills within the local workforce that is reinforced in the next generation. Accessibility: These programs eliminate the need for dedicated space and specialized equipment, making composting accessible to everyone, regardless of their living situation. Reencle states the following as benefits of community composting:

● Convenient: Community composting programs manage the composting process, eliminating the burden of maintaining a compost pile at home

● Educational: Many programs offer workshops and resources to educate participants about composting best practices.

● Builds Community: Participating in a community composting program fosters a sense of shared responsibility for environmental sustainability. It allows individuals to connect with like-minded neighbors and contribute to a collective effort towards a greener future.