AdkAction’s Compost for Good project is joining environmental and recycling businesses, organizations, community groups and individuals around the globe in celebrating International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) during the first week of May. The theme of this year’s Compost Awareness Week is “Grow, Eat… COMPOST… Repeat.”

“The theme recognizes the circular movement of the organics recycling process flowing from farm to table to farm again. This circular process turns recycled organic materials into compost which creates healthy soils leading to more nutrient dense fruits and vegetables, with those organic residuals going back to being composted and the process starts again,” explained Amy Freeman, ICAW Committee Chair.

Throughout the week, AdkAction will be sharing resources and information to build awareness of the benefits of compost use and organics recycling. The Compost for Good team of John Culpepper, Katie Culpepper, and Jennifer Perry will be available to answer questions about composting at any scale, from backyard bins to community composting, through the Compost for Good Discussion Group on Facebook.

Compost is important for improving and maintaining high quality soil, growing healthy plants, reducing the use of fertilizer and pesticides, improving water quality and protecting the environment. Composting keeps nutrients in the community, which builds local resilience, heals soils, and helps reduce global greenhouse gas emissions. Organics recycling plays a key role in keeping valuable materials out of landfills.

In 2020 Compost for Good became a full-fledged AdkAction project, working towards our goal to make organic waste recycling more commonplace throughout the region and engaging in outreach to promote organic waste as a valuable resource.

There is a growing need for effective, adaptable, and affordable community composting systems that can process unsorted food waste—including meat and dairy—and other organic materials. To meet that need, Compost for Good designed a community-scale composter and is sharing the free open-source design guide and operator manual. Four of these community-scale composters are operating in the Adirondacks, processing a combined 6,000+ pounds of food waste each month. More are on the way!

Learn more about the Compost for Good project at www.AdkAction.org/compost and join the Compost for Good community on Facebook: Compost for Good Discussion Group.

AdkAction is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to create projects that address unmet needs, promote vibrant communities, and preserve the natural beauty of the Adirondacks for all. The goal of the Compost for Good project is to help communities turn food and other organic “wastes” into high quality compost. Learn more at www.AdkAction.org.

International Compost Awareness Week, a program run in the United States by the Compost Research & Education Foundation, is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. More information on ICAW can be found at www.compostfoundation.org.