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 From the Top of the Pile
Frank Franciosi
Executive Director Decades before joining the US Composting Council, my composting journey began when I started my tree service business in New Jersey. We would unload the ground-up limbs and wood chips at a local nursery, where they’d use the material as mulch. I remember one winter after we dumped our usual batch, I felt the heat coming out of a batch we dropped off two days before. I was fascinated by it and realized this was more than just mulch; it was a byproduct that could be something more. Inspired, I began composting in my own backyard, learning through trial and error while also reading “The Rodale Book of Composting.” It was during this experimenting I learned many valuable lessons, one being the importance of the carbon-nitrogen ratio in a pile when I saw how high the temperature of my pile jumped after adding chicken manure, a rich source of nitrogen. My background in horticulture helped me in understanding the information and process quicker, it was the time and labor of experimenting with my own pile that set a strong foundation for a career in the composting industry.
USCC NEWS
Will you lend your voice?
Effective PFAS regulation must be science-driven, focused on stopping at the source, and consider the broader context of exposure. We are concerned that the flaws in the current risk assessment will fuel unsubstantiated public concerns rather than promoting practical solutions.
We urge you to comment using our Compost Action Center about the inadequacy of this assessment and the damage its flaws could cause in securing real action on dealing with PFAs in a realistic way.
Click the button below to access our Action Center campaign.
As part of the US Composting Council’s upcoming Salary & Benchmarking Study, we are gathering critical data on compensation and benefits to help our members make better-informed hiring decisions. To ensure we capture the most accurate information for your organization, we would greatly appreciate your help identifying the best human resources representative, or relevant point of contact, on your team.
Click the button below for more information on what we need from you and why you should participate.
Join us for our upcoming webinar: “Composting Equipment Toolbox Talks” taking place on Wednesday, April 23, at 11 a.m. Eastern Time.
Returning from COMPOST2025 as its own webinar, Composting Equipment Toolbox Talks are an easy way to supplement facility and company training efforts. Covering equipment and jobsite safety, contamination navigation for cleaner compost, and the benefits of deep stacking, these short webinar presentations are designed to heighten employee awareness on important topics.
Thank you to Viably for sponsoring this webinar!
Click the button below to register today to secure your spot and join the conversation!
We thank USCC board president Jennifer Trent of the Iowa Waste Reduction Center, vice president Travis Bahnsen of A1 Organics, treasurer Samantha Winkle of Waste Connections, Kate Sullivan of McGill Environmental Systems, Cary Oshins of ComposterCaryDotCom, Neil Edgar of Edgar & Associates, Inc., past president Pierce Louis of Dirt Hugger, Melissa Filiaggi of Maryland Environmental Service, Ryan Cooper of Rubicon, USCC deputy director Linda Norris-Waldt and executive director Frank Franciosi for representing the USCC in Washington yesterday. All USCC committee and board positions are voluntary, and their commitment to the cause of advancing composting across the U.S. is greatly appreciated.
Click the button below to read the full article and see photos from our trip to Capitol Hill.
ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY BRIEFS
For the third year, USCC is looking for members willing to host tours of their compost facility this spring and summer, when legislators are out of session. USCC's lobbying efforts have indicated that with federal funding paused and cancelled, getting legislators at the state level to see compost facilities is the No. 1 way to increase success for you AND the industry.
Reaching out to your local legislator may sound challenging, which is why the USCC has provided a step-by-step guide on how to do so!
If you are considering hosting a visit, click the button below to sign up on our website. We will keep you updated with more information for your planning purposes and the day of your tour.
This is the US Composting Council's Compost Policy Pulse update for March 2025.
March's main stories are on proposals to change language in state legislation for Florida and Ohio, changing definitions on farm products and composting.
These updates are brought to our members from our Public Policy and Lobbying Program, and the Legislative and Environmental Affairs Committee – a member committee that meets monthly to discuss legislation, regulation, issues, and programs.
COMPOST USE
The STA Program is rolling out a digital process for the Chain of Custody (CoC) and Compost Technical Data Sheets (CTDS) in the USCC Gateway, set to transition on May 1. The new electronic process through the Gateway streamlines documentation, enhances compliance, and improves data utilization. No more manually tracking STA testing; test results will be automatically linked to digital CoC forms and real-time notification will keep everyone informed!
Click the button below for more information and to learn about next steps.
STATE CHAPTER NEWS
The FLCC will not be hosting their annual composter conference for 2025, instead focusing on building membership through greater committee involvement and quarterly education events. The FLCC will have a 90-minute organics recycling session at the 2025 Recycle Florida Today Conference in Daytona Beach on June 24.
Click the button below to read the full statement from the FLCC.
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
We are excited to announce our May Happy Hour will be taking place on May 8 at 5 p.m. Eastern! During this Happy Hour, we will be discussing how you can fund diverse funding sources, strategic partnerships, and creative connections to strengthen your composting operations and education programs. We will have a few guest speakers who will share their experiences, but we are also looking forward to hearing all the ideas and advice our attendees have to share!
When: May 8 at 5 p.m. ET
Where: Zoom
Click the button below to register!
We are thrilled to highlight Miranda Wolf as April’s YP of the Month! Miranda currently works for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation in the Organics Reduction and Recycling Section.
Miranda’s journey into composting started when she took a college course her freshman year that focused on creating educational materials for local K-12 students about the problem with food waste and solutions to it, including composting. After her freshman year, Miranda had various other internships and work opportunities while getting her undergraduate degree in Environmental Science and Policy that furthered her passion and experience related to food waste and composting.
Click the button below to learn more about Miranda.
Are you a passionate young professional looking to connect with like-minded individuals in the composting industry? Look no further! We invite you to join our vibrant and engaging Slack community.
By joining our Slack, you'll have the opportunity to:
It's easy to get started! Simply click the button below to join our Slack community and start connecting with fellow Young Professionals today. MEMBER NEWS
GoZERO Services, a nonprofit organization that provides food waste collection services and compost delivery in Ohio, has shared their latest growth updates, including a new drop-off station at Metroparks Toledo and a partnership with the Logan County Solid Waste District.
GoZERO also announced their Tour de Compost 2025, making pre-ordered bags of compost available for springtime events and festivals and teaming up with local organizations to improve accessibility.
Click the link below to learn more about GoZERO.
Tim Bennett, founder and co-owner of Bennett Compost in Philadelphia, wrote a column for the Grid where he called for the City of Philadelphia to expand its composting accessibility and provided suggestions for what the city could do.
Tim started Bennett Compost 16 years ago, and today picks up from more than 6,000 households and businesses every week in the Philadelphia area.
Click the button below to read the full column.
The Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency, known often as just the Solid Waste Agency, was featured in Waste Advantage Magazine spotlight article about the City of Cedar Rapids and their solid waste and recycling division. The Solid Waste Agency manages the City’s landfill.
Click the button below to read the full article.
The USCC participated in a recent conference in Guadalajara, Mexico, as part of the Ecomondo Mexico conference. Ecomondo brings together technologies and solutions for the ecological transition and offers business and networking opportunities with Latin American investors and potential business partners. This year, the Scientific Committee put together an international panel to discuss European and North American experiences with composting. Presentations from various perspectives were given by Eduardo Parra, director and project manager for SIPRA; Marco Ricci, on behalf of the Italian Composting Council; Bernardo de la Mora, GrupoVerde in Guadalajara; Susan Antler from the Compost Council of Canada and longtime former USCC board member Matt Cotton, representing the Council. Presentations focused on the status and experience of composting in the four represented countries. Following the presentation was a tour of the GrupoVerde Composting Site in Guadalajara. GrupoVerde receives source-separated vegetative and produce waste from various generators in Guadalajara. RFPS AND PROPOSALS
The USCC is seeking to contract a marketing agency to develop a creative campaign plan to support our mission: advancing organics recycling to benefit our members, society, and the environment. The goal of this campaign is to increase composting adoption among Millennials and Gen Z. The campaign will focus on driving awareness, providing education, and empowering individuals to “get started” composting with practical tools and resources.
Please share this RFP with any creative agency that you have worked with. Contact Eric Hudiburg at ehudiburg@compostingcouncil.org or share the posting linked to the button below.
OPPORTUNITIES, JOBS AND GRANTS
The Inland Empire Utilities Agency (IEUA) has an exciting opportunity for the position of compost worker in the Agency's Organics Management Department at the Inland Empire Regional Composting Facility. A compost worker performs entry-level duties in the operation and maintenance of the composting facility. Incumbents must gain proficiency and attain the skills necessary to function at the next higher level while independently providing semi-skilled facilities cleaning and maintenance work. The compost worker will typically report to a compost operations and maintenance supervisor.
CREF NEWS
Applications are now open for CREF’s annual $4,000 University Scholarship Program. This program supports innovative research in compost science and is designed to advance knowledge in areas such as enhancing drought tolerance, improving soil nutrients, reducing erosion, and increasing carbon storage to combat climate change.
In addition to the scholarship, recipients will be invited to present their findings at the U.S. Composting Council’s annual conference, with registration and travel expenses covered.
Click below to learn more on how to apply and on sponsoring the program.
Just one month to go before International Compost Awareness Week! Are you ready to celebrate the power of compost? It’s the perfect time to spread awareness, share tips, and take action to reduce waste and enrich our soil. Start planning your events, workshops, or social posts now. Let's make this year’s ICAW the most impactful yet!
Don’t forget to visit our ICAW Events page to let us know what you’re planning.
Click the button below to check out the ICAW Homepage for helpful resources like the ICAW Social Media Toolkit.
CREF is gearing up for our summer Compost Operations Training Courses, and we hope to see you there! First up is a COTC in Lincoln, NE, taking place June 2-6. Early Bird pricing ends on April 21, so don’t miss out on your chance to save $100!
You can learn more about the Nebraska COTC and register by clicking the button below. An additional COTC is being scheduled for late summer – stay tuned!
IN THE HEADLINES
Alexis McDonell, Jersey City Times
Photo by Joey Pedras on Unsplash JERSEY CITY, N.J., April 5, 2025 — Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop and the city’s Division of Recycling announced its municipal composting program has diverted 2.4 million pounds of organic waste from landfills, and they’re planning to expand the program to include new drop-off locations, services, and partnerships.
The city also plans to focus on school communities in the expansion, placing new drop-off sites near campuses to introduce students and families to composting.
Joseph Villanova, Stamford Advocate
STAMFORD, Conn., April 3, 2025 — Nine towns and regional entities across Connecticut will receive $15 million for waste management infrastructure projects.
On March 27, the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection announced wards for the inaugural Materials Management Infrastructure Grant Program, focused on supporting the development of waste management infrastructure in direct response to the solid waste disposal challenges impacting municipalities, councils of government, and regional waste authorities.
Charlotte Hancox, NBC5 WPTZ
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y., March 27, 2025 — The School Compost & Recycling Action Plan Institute, known as SCRAPI, is giving Vermont students the resources they need to learn about sustainability and reducing waste.
SCRAPI offers grants for school students and staff to tackle sustainability, and applications open in spring. Over the summer, selected teams will attend workshops in Randolph, Vermont to develop their ideas and plan how to implement them the following school year.
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