Provide Feedback on New Infrastructure-Building Tool to Address Bankers’ Unfamiliarity with the Composting Business Model

The US Composting Council (USCC) has released a new member resource designed to help composters more effectively engage capital providers and to secure financing to open, expand, or upgrade composting facilities: the draft Bank Loan Kit.
 
The USCC Bank Loan Kit provides standardized, practical tools that translate the composting business model into language familiar to investors and lenders. The kit was developed as part of the Corporate Compost Leadership Council (CCLC) work plan and responds directly to financing challenges identified by composters over the past several years.
 
The need for improved access to capital was first highlighted in the CCLC’s 2021 Finding Funds white paper, which identified banker unfamiliarity with composting operations, risk profiles, and revenue models as a persistent barrier to financing. The Bank Loan Kit builds on that research by offering materials that composters can use in real-world lending conversations.
 
“We have long heard from our members that pursuing bank financing is made more difficult by the lack of familiarity lenders have with composting businesses—how facilities make money, what the risks are, and how to evaluate projects,” said Linda Norris-Waldt, Executive Director of the U.S. Composting Council. “Our earlier research confirmed this as a significant obstacle, and we’re pleased to be bringing practical, field-tested resources to help composters overcome it.”
 
The kit was compiled by Paula Luu, Managing Director of BioCycle, who has worked extensively with composters, investors, and NGOs funding climate initiatives. The pro forma financial template included in the kit was developed by Jarrett Bond.
 
“Composters know their businesses inside and out, but investors don’t always understand how these facilities work or how risk shows up operationally,” said Paula Luu. “The kit helps bridge that gap by translating composting operations into terms capital providers recognize and trust.”
 
The draft Bank Loan Kit includes:

• Banker Handout: A concise primer to help lenders understand composting business models, revenue drivers, and key underwriting risks
• Pro Forma Financial Template: A fill-in financial model that generates financial projections composters can share with capital providers (e.g., banks, investors)
• Business Plan Template: A guided, fillable document that helps composters clearly explain their operations, business model, and growth plans to capital providers

USCC is releasing the kit initially as a draft for member review and comment. USCC members are invited to review the materials, which can be downloaded from USCC's website, and provide feedback through a structured comment form through March 15, 2026. The input will be used to refine the kit ahead of its final release in April 2026, ensuring the tools reflect real-world operating conditions across the composting industry.
 
“For the composting industry to continue scaling, operators need financial tools that align with how investors actually evaluate projects,” said Jarrett Bond. “This pro forma template is designed to translate operational realities into a clear, bank-ready financial framework, helping composters present credible, actionable information and enabling capital providers to engage with greater confidence.”
 
The draft kit was introduced at COMPOST2026, the USCC's Annual Conference and Trade Show, which took place February 2–5 in Sacramento, California. Bond and former USCC Executive Director, Frank Franciosi, used the toolkit as an instructional backbone to their COMPOST2026 workshop “Compost Facility Financing: From Vision to Reality,” which gave participants an in-depth look at the best practices for securing capital for composting facilities. To continue education around the Bank Loan Kit past COMPOST2026, USCC will host a webinar this spring to walk composters through how to use the kit and incorporate it into conversations with lenders.