Funding Your Program

The Institute for Local Self Reliance has gathered information on state surcharges that fund composting (and recycling) programs.

There are a number of consulting firms (many of whom are USCC members) who perform waste audits and waste composition studies. These are very helpful in sizing your programs and making decisions about whether to handle materials in-house, what feedstocks you will be generating, and potential cost savings from composting,…

Residential education is key to a successful food scraps and other organics diversion program. At the start of a program education is necessary to explain: What organics recycling is Why it’s important How to participate (and sign up) What is and is not accepted What is included Initial program education…

After determining which collection method will be used and where the material will go, determining how to roll-out the program to residents will affect the overall program costs. Some communities give containers to all residents to participate, some communities only give containers to those who sign-up for the program. Billing…

Understanding local infrastructure Understanding the local infrastructure and compost site operations can help narrow down how you choose to collect food scraps and other organics. Some questions to answer include: 1. Does the compost site have capacity to accept more materials? If yard waste only compost site, can the facility…

Public vs. Private vs. Partnership An important decision for communities is to consider the business model and level of infrastructure, operational involvement, control and cost they want to undertake if structured as a public utility. Common models for municipal composting programs include: Publicly owned and operated facility Privately owned and…