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 From the Top of the Pile
If this headline resonates with you, you are already on your way to “getting” USCC's Core Values. (See the About Us page).
Several years ago the USCC Board of Directors realized that putting down on paper the things that make your organization unique would give us additional sightlines into how our community approaches challenges and victories. They debated, discussed, and established a group of values that make our industry—and USCC—who we are.
At their 2025 Strategic Planning Retreat, your board reflected on and refined the core values of keeping FUN, Growth Through Learning, and Delivering Member Value, and adding CULTIVATING COMMUNITY.
You're getting a refresher on the USCC Core Values because they are the heart of our Annual Conference, also known as the Compost Family Reunion (CFR 🙂), which will be held in California in just 81 days. This event is where the exuberance of composters shines through: old friends gathering to compare their year and new friends coming to learn. Everyone leaves feeling refreshed and renewed. Fun indeed—in an industry as hardworking and committed as ours, fun, joy, and sharing are ingredients as necessary as the bacteria and fungi in our piles.
USCC NEWS
The U.S. Composting Council is excited to launch the Member Connect program, a new initiative designed to strengthen relationships between USCC staff and members across the country. Under this program, each of our 10 staff members will serve as a Regional Representative, dedicated to 10 regions in the U.S. Your representative will serve as your direct link to USCC, carrying our mission to support and strengthen the compost industry to your region.
Your Regional Representative will:
- Serve as a primary point of contact for member questions and feedback
- Coordinate regional meet-ups, both virtual and in-person - Work with the Membership Coordinator on outreach campaigns to build our member network - Collaborate with USCC state chapters and local partners - Support regional advocacy, legislation, and policy developments impacting the compost industry - Aid in creating connection opportunities with local consumers - Conduct site visits to highlight member operations
The US Composting Council (USCC) is pleased to announce the results of its annual Board of Directors elections for the 2026-2028 term. The USCC Board of Directors welcomes one new member and three returning members who will guide the council in its mission to advance composting infrastructure, technology, and market development across the United States.
The newly elected and re-elected members are:
Travis Bahnsen, A1 Organics: Compost Manufacturer, returning
Lorrie Rossiter, Erth Products LLC: Compost Manufacturer, returning
Jennifer Trent, Iowa Waste Reduction | University of Iowa: Compost manufacturer, returning
Gaelan Brown, Green Mountain Technologies, Independent Consultant: Affiliate, new
COMPOST2026 is shaping up to be the biggest gathering of the composting industry yet. To help as many members of the composting industry attend the conference as possible, this year we are offering two special attendance rates for COMPOST2026.
The USCC is offering two discounts for COMPOST2026. USCC Member Denali is sponsoring a 30% discount for government or municipal employees, and the USCC is also offering a 60% discount to students. Please click below to learn more about these discounts and how to receive them.
Register before November 20th while early bird pricing lasts to receive the best rate for COMPOST2026!
The US Composting Council needs your input for the 2025 Member Needs Survey! The composting industry is experiencing rapid growth, and as your industry association, the USCC is committed to growing with you and ensuring we are providing maximum member value.
To do this effectively, we need your direct input. We are asking for just 15-25 minutes of your time to complete the USCC Member Needs Survey. Your responses will directly shape our priorities, services, and future initiatives, ensuring the USCC is meeting your needs in this ever-evolving landscape. Your results will be recorded anonymously, but you will have the option to submit a separate contact to be entered into a drawing to win a prize of your choice from a one-year USCC membership up to the bronze level, one full COMPOST2026 registration, or a pair of AirPods Max Pro 3.
The survey is open to current, lapsed, and prospective members! Please submit before December 1, 2025.
ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY BRIEFS
It has been another busy month advocating at the Federal, State, and National Levels!
On Friday, November 7th, the USCC had delivered by our Washington lobbying firm, Carpi and Clay, to the Offices of Senate Majority Leader John Thune, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries a letter that summarizes the results of a recent poll conducted by the USCC of our members on the impacts of the Federal Government Shutdown on the US Composting Industry. In our letter, we introduce the US Composting Council and our mission to develop, expand, and promote the composting industry for the benefit of local economies and sustainability.
The Washington Department of Ecology is developing new rules to address contamination at organics management facilities. The legislative goal for the rules was to strengthen compost operations and set reasonable standards for facilities using depackaging as a decontamination tool.
But, Ecology’s newly released draft rules miss the mark. Instead of setting clear depackaging standards and supporting the compost industry, the proposal creates new restrictions on compost facilities and does not hold other organics management technologies accountable for environmental outcomes.
Click below to learn more about why the USCC and Washington Costituents are concered about the proposed rule draft, why all USCC members nationwide should be concerned, and how you can get involved and voice your concerns about supporting the source separation of organics!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The USCC is taking a major step forward in advancing professional development across the composting industry. For the first time ever, the USCC will host in-person certification exams for its two prestigious credentials—the Certified Compost Operations Manager (CCOM)™ and the Certified Composting Professional (CCP)™—during COMPOST2026 in Sacramento, California.
The in-person exam will take place at 8:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 5, 2026, offering an unparalleled opportunity for composting professionals to earn certification while attending North America’s largest composting conference. Candidates must submit their CCOM™ or CCP™ applications by the November 15, 2025, deadline. Space is limited, so early application is strongly encouraged.
In a growing and dynamic composting industry, continuous learning and professional recognition are key to long-term success. Whether you’re new to the field or an experienced operator looking to advance, the U.S. Composting Council (USCC) offers resources designed to help you chart your professional development path.
Continue learning! The USCC’s Annual Conference and Tradeshow is the premiere professional meeting for composting, organics recycling, and related topics. The program is full of industry topics to dive into. CEUs are available!
Click below to learn more about the professional development and learning resources that the USCC offers!
COMPOST USE
Last month, USCC represented 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.
Executive Director Linda Norris-Waldt and Director of Public Policy Chris Snow staffed the USCC Booth in the Trade Show Hall. They connected landscape architects with our network of STA-Certified compost producers, shared information about compost specifications, and demonstrated how the STA Program helps professionals make informed choices about compost.
STATE CHAPTER NEWS
From October 8-10, the Texas Composting Council hosted its annual Summit in Katy, Texas. The event included presentations from composting professionals from across Texas and beyond, classroom trainings, live equipment demonstrations, and, of course, networking!
The event was attended by over 70 members of the Texas composting industry, coming from 14 counties across Texas, and the Trade Show featured 22 exhibitors. Attendance doubled from the 2024 TXCC Summit, and exhibitor participation increased by 35 percent!
This time of year, composters, and garden enthusiasts across the country share the same call to action: don’t throw away autumn leaves! In a news segment on WRTV Indianapolis, Indiana Composting Council President Gowri Somasudaram shared exactly that message.
The nutrients and organic matter that make up autumn leaves can be incredibly beneficial to the environment. There are many ways to utilize the positive benefits of leaves while also keeping them out of landfills. In this WRTV feature, Somasundaram shares the way that she incorporates autumn leaves in her backyard compost system. She breaks down the basics of backyard composting, from browns to greens to aeration, creating an explanation that shows how beneficial leaves can be while also giving beginner backyard composters an instructional foundation to start from.
Click below to learn more and to hear more about the INCC's recent activities!
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
We are thrilled to highlight Gwen Casey as November’s YP of the Month! Gwen is one of our recent YP scholarship recipients who has joined our YP Outreach Committee.
Gwen began working in the composting space as a sophomore in high school, washing buckets for a Chicago-area compost pick-up service. Since then, Gwen has remained involved in composting and passionate about its role in addressing climate change. For Gwen’s senior thesis at Carleton College, she studied methods to reduce methane emissions from the process of composting digestate. During her research process, Gwen had the opportunity to interview multiple industry experts and visit several compost and anaerobic digestion facilities in Minnesota and Illinois. Now, Gwen works to raise awareness of new compost drop-off sites in Robbinsdale, MN, as a member of the Minnesota GreenCorps. Gwen is excited to try different outreach methods she has seen work in other cities and help further the transition to composting.
We are excited to spotlight Giangelo “Gio” Leos this month as part of the new USCC YP Educator Spotlight program! Gio works at Food Exploration & Discovery, where they include composting/soil education in their K-12 program that grows with students. The organization’s composting/soil education starts with their Compost Champions program for second and third graders. Second graders dig into compost and soil science and support their school compost bin, while third graders maintain a worm bin in their classroom. The program continues to grow with students as Food Exploration and Discovery infuses composting lessons into middle and high school programming.
Join us for our YP Quarterly Call on December 11th! These calls are a great time for YPs to connect, share updates, and have productive discussions on all things related to composting and being a young professional.
When: December 11, 2025, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Zoom
Click the link below to register for the call and receive the Zoom link!
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
Last month, the City of Davenport, Iowa, celebrated 30 years of operation for its compost facility.
The Davenport compost facility was opened in 1995 and was relatively ahead of the curve in the history of composting infrastructure in the United States. Today, it processes municipal yard waste as well as biosolids from two local wastewater treatment facilities and generates STA-Certified compost. Each year, the Davenport Compost Facility diverts over 1 million pounds of biosolids and yard waste from the landfill, generating over 155,000 cubic yards of screened compost. In its 30 years of operation, it has diverted 5.5 million cubic yards of feedstocks and produced just under 1 million cubic yards of finished compost. They sell about 40,000 bags of potting soil, garden soil, and compost to residents, commercial landscapers, tree nurseries, and farmers each year.
On October 8th, to celebrate the facility’s 30th anniversary, the City of Davenport held an open house where they welcomed community members to tour the facility and learn about the composting process.
USCC Member Kern County Public Works recently celebrated the grand opening of its new compost facility. The compost facility is located in Shafter, CA, next to the Shafter-Wasco Landfill.
Kern County expects the new facility to divert 100,000 tons of organic waste annually. It will accept multiple organic feedstocks, including yard waste, agricultural waste, and food waste. The expected throughput is 40,000 tons of compost annually.
In late October, USCC member Creekside Soils was featured in the West Central Tribune in a celebration of composting as a sustainable waste management solution for rural communities. The Creekside Soils facility is owned and operated by the city of Hutchinson, Minnesota.
Opened in 2001, the Creekside Soils facility composts yard waste and food scraps from the residents of Hutchinson. The city reports that about half of the 4,000 residents of Hutchinson are participating in the curbside organic waste collection program. Residents can also drop off organic waste directly at the facility. The materials are composted in windrows as well as aerated static pile (ASP) bunkers.
OPPORTUNITIES, JOBS AND GRANTS
This multidisciplinary position will lead a targeted national campaign to expand compost markets in non-agricultural sectors through targeted social and traditional marketing and strategic partnerships. This role will manage multiple campaigns tailored to distinct audiences, applying behavior change principles to shift practices and purchasing decisions. The Manager will also oversee the creation of sector-specific toolkits, web-based tools, and case studies that demonstrate compost’s benefits and applications, helping decision-makers adopt compost as a practical, cost-effective, and sustainable solution. This is a full-time, remote position.
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Environmental Assistance and Customer Service (DEACS) is now accepting applications for the Helene Recovery Recycling Infrastructure (HRRI) Grant Program, which supports western North Carolina communities in rebuilding and strengthening waste reduction and recycling systems following Hurricane Helene.
Eligible applicants include local governments—counties, municipalities, councils of governments, and solid waste authorities—within FEMA-declared disaster counties impacted by Hurricane Helene (DR-4827). Learn more about funding opportunities, eligibility, application process and timeline, and more using the link below.
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance has released an open call for art submissions for its upcoming exhibit, “Gathering Ground: A Celebration of Compost Art and Culture!” This exhibit will be open February 1-3, 2026, in Sacramento, CA, during both COMPOST2026 and ILSR’s Cultivating Community Composting Forum.
The art exhibition will explore how compost, soil health, and regenerative agriculture shape more resilient communities. Through visual art, installations, and thought-provoking dialogue, Gathering Ground is meant to bring together and celebrate science, sustainability, and creativity in one participatory space. Submissions are open through November 30th. Click below to learn more!
The Virginia Department of Environmental Quality is working to reduce methane pollution in the Commonwealth through the new Food Rescue & Composting Subaward Program. The program aims to reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills by investing in edible food recovery and composting programs at colleges, universities, and state agencies.
The application period will remain open until November 17th. Learn more about eligibility and the application process by clicking below!
Compost Research & Education Foundation News
CREF is excited to welcome Liv Johansson as the newest member of our team. Liv will be leading the Compostable Field Testing Program (CFTP), an international, open-source research platform that enables composters to field test the disintegration of compostable foodware and packaging in their own operations.
Liv brings nearly a decade of experience in the waste and organics management sector, where she has focused on improving environmental outcomes and advancing the circular economy. Based in Washington, she has served as a Board Member for the Washington Organics Recycling Council (WORC), operated a compost facility at the Woodland Park Zoo, and most recently worked as Science and Permitting Manager for Engineered Compost Systems.
Today is the final day to submit your ICAW poster or bookmark design for the 2026 campaign. Entries will close tonight at 12:00 a.m. EST, so if you have a student, class, community group, or creative compost champion who has been working on a design, please make sure it is submitted today. The poster and bookmark help us tell the story of composting in a fresh, creative way each year, and we are grateful for everyone who participates.
We are also opening up sponsorship opportunities for ICAW 2026. ICAW continues to grow in reach and impact, and sponsors make it possible for us to develop educational materials, run the contests, and promote composting worldwide. If your company or organization wants to be part of next year’s outreach, now is the time to get on the list.
IN THE HEADLINES
Megan Quinn
Waste Dive
Sacramento, CA—In mid-October, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed three important bills related to materials recycling into law. The most important to the composting industry is SB 279, which expands the capacity for on-site composting of organic waste on certain farms, orchards, community gardens, and other community composting sites such as schools. This expansion is crucial for helping California reach its diversion goals, and will help promote localized, environmentally-positive organic waste solutions. The two other laws signed by Gov. Newsom impact glass recycling and anaerobic digestion.
Eileen Higgins
Miami's Community News
Miami-Dade County has passed an ordinance creating a simpler, more realistic pathway for community composters to receive permitting. Small-scale composting operations previously had to achieve permits in the same way as large, industrial compost manufacturing operations, a process which was unfeasible for many small organizations. The new ordinance will help relieve the pressure currently put on the Miami-Dade landfill and will help divert an estimated 30,000 tons of organic waste annually. USCC Members Compost for Life and Fertile Earth Worm Farm are two composting businesses in Miami-Dade County that are helping the county to reach these diversion goals.
Patty Wetli
WTTW News
Chicago’s compost drop-off program, which launched two years ago, has just expanded by thirteen drop-off locations. The program is growing through a partnership with the Chicago Public Library, and the new drop-off locations will be located at thirteen libraries across the city. This growth brings the program to thirty-three drop-off locations total. In the two years since it launched, the program has collected over one million pounds of food scraps.
Upcoming Events
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