Waste Reduction

Compost – Reducing Waste

Along with its direct benefits to the environment, using compost also has an additional benefit by diverting waste from landfills. This is due to the fact that compost is made from waste - food scraps, organic byproducts, and green waste– that would otherwise be rotting unproductively in landfills and creating methane, a dangerous greenhouse gas. So next time you use compost, remember that you’re keeping useful items out of landfills, in addition to beautifying your own property.

Compost Ingredients

Compost can be made from different ingredients, called “feedstocks”- ask your compost manufacturer for the feedstock list on their Compost Technical Data Sheet (CTDS) to learn more about the source of your compost.

Reducing Waste with Compostable Products

Compost can be made from many byproducts, including food leftovers. If compostable products instead of single-use plastic disposables are used with food, those can be diverted to facilities that accept them. Learn more about how to identify products that will compost in facilities near you.

State Organics Legislation

Some states require materials to be diverted from disposal that could be used for compost instead. Is your state one of them?

Target Organics Hub

The USCC’s Target Organics Hub contains resources to support communities in developing, executing, and growing programs to collect and process food scraps and other organics.