USCC Staff: Out in the Field!

Over the past month, USCC staff members left the office to attend major gatherings of composting professionals. Through these in-person events, our staff was able to deepen their knowledge of the composting field and connect with composters across our membership base.

In September, our Member Services Coordinator, Ksenia, attended the Compost Operations Training Course in Raleigh along with over 30 industry professionals. Attending a COTC is a rite of passage for a USCC staff member; they provide the ultimate opportunity to better understand, and learn how to better serve, the needs of our members. The Raleigh COTC was exceptionally well-organized thanks to the Compost Research and Education Foundation (CREF) and the NC Composting Council.

Of her experience at the COTC, Ksenia said, "The course really highlighted the importance of knowledge-sharing within our industry—you don’t have to reinvent the wheel when there are so many people ready and willing to share what they know. I’d recommend it even if you’re not pursuing certification! It was so refreshing to step away from my day-to-day routine and spend some time with our lovely composting community.”

Ksenia and her team's composting pile

Later in the month, Marketing & Communications Manager Jayne attended the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) Annual Summit in Atlanta. The summit was a fantastic way for her to learn about the realities of compostable products in organics collection and compost manufacturing. As a part of the summit, Jayne also got to tour USCC Member CompostNow's Atlanta facility, seeing firsthand how a compost manufacturer processes these materials. 

Jayne touring CompostNow's Atlanta composting facility

Lastly, from October 10-13, USCC will be representing the composting industry and our Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) Program at the American Society of Landscape Architects’ 2025 Conference and EXPO! ASLA is the world’s largest conference and trade show for the landscape architecture industry, bringing together over 6,000 professionals. Compost plays an essential role in this field—as a solution for planting, turf establishment & maintenance, erosion control, improving soil water-holding capacity, soil blends, and many more. USCC Staff will be connecting landscape architects with our network of STA-Certified compost producers, sharing information about compost specifications, and demonstrating how the STA Program helps professionals make informed choices about compost. If you’re attending #ASLA2025, stop by Booth 2132 to meet USCC staff and learn how STA-Certified compost can strengthen your landscape designs and specifications. 

Getting out “into the field” is incredibly valuable for our USCC staff. As a membership-based organization, we prioritize any opportunity to create in-person, real-world connections with USCC Members and members of the composting industry generally. If you have any events that you would like to see a USCC Staff Member attend, please feel free to reach out to us at uscc@compostingcouncil.org