To support organic waste diversion from disposal to compost facilities, the Target Organics Hub is a resource to help build food scrap composting infrastructure and implement programs across the United States.
By providing the tools and success stories, composters and communities can use this hub to plan, attract, open, successfully run compost facilities, and market the compost that is produced. After all, compost is an essential ingredient to healthy soil.
Our mission is to empower the foundation of life on the Earth, healthy soil! By spreading awareness and know-how, communities can start reducing landfill waste and methane emissions, starting here!
Understanding Compost
Composting takes place in a variety of ways, and you can learn hear about the way the compost industry works in the commercial sector, from small scale to large!
Program Planning & Collection
There are several key issues that need to be decided before proceeding with an organics recycling program.
- Determining goals
- Solid waste plans
- Business plan and community engagement
- How organics will be managed
- How organics will be collected
- Sign up and participation options
- Education and promoting your program
- Waste Audit/Composition Studies-Procurement
- School & College Procurement
- Plans and Feasibility Studies
- Public Private Partnerships
- Compostable Products
- Funding Your Program
Site Planning
Though 2020/21 has been challenging, we are so proud of what we achieved through the support and partnerships with our volunteers. We look forward to future collaborations.
Collection Program Evaluation and Ongoing Education
After the program has launched, there is a need to continuously evaluate the following metrics to determine the success of your program. A little more detail on each of these continuous evaluation metrics are described below:
Marketing Use
Marketing finished compost is important to make money for the organization, make room on the pad for new feedstocks, and maintain good community relations with both the facility and the industry. When the public values the final product, compost will be the gold standard throughout the cycle, for both disposing of organics, and as a soil amendment. A good marketing plan for compost must demonstrate the benefits of and applications for compost to compete successfully with other soil products in the specific areas it will be sold and used.
- Benefits of using compost
- Marketing Personnel
- Identifying potential markets
- Create compost qualities for specific market uses
- Develop a Product Brand Specification
- Product Certifications
- Pricing Structure
- Identifying distribution channels
- Plan for education, outreach, and promotions
- Continuous Evaluation of Marketing and Compost Quality
Partner Resources
Composting Grows With A Little Help From Our Friends
There is stellar work going on in non-profit organizations, municipalities and governments at all levels on all the tools YOU need to start, scale up or multiply compost facilities or programs in your community.
- Model Procurement Policy
- PreTreatment of Organic Materials for Composting
- Community Toolkit
- Excess Food Opportunities Map
- IFSC Residential Compost Guide
- REFED: Roadmap to 2030
- A Guide to Conducting a Food Waste Assessment
- A Users Guide to Compost
- Posters: Compost Impacts More than You Think.
- State of Organics Recycling in the U.S.
- Mapping Urban Access to Composting Programs
- Growing Local Fertility: A Guide to Community Composting
- Evaluation and Ongoing Education: International Compost Awareness Week
- Curb to Compost Toolkit
- Compost Equipment Factsheet
- The Value of Compostable Packaging
- Analysis of the Barriers and Opportunities for the Use of Compost in Agriculture, 2018
- USCC STA Certified Compost Participants Map
- BPI Labelling Guidelines
- How2Compost
- Program Implementation Case Studies
- In the Public Interest Guide
- Compost Operator Guidebook
- Case Studies for Department of Transportation Use of Finished Compost
- Various Compost Use Applications
- Water Quality Protection at Compost Sites
- Odor Control 101 – Practical Guide to Managing Odor
- Compostable Products Decision Making Guide
- Quantifying Existing Food Waste Infrastructure in the U.S., 2019
