Food Scrap Diversion and Composting 
Photo courtesy of Enfield Village School, 2023.
NEWS
FREE to JOIN a HOME COMPOSTING WORKSHOP
Do you have friends and neighbors who compost, and you want to compost too, but you don’t know how? Or maybe you already compost but still have a few questions? Attend this free event to learn more about composting and how you can make it fit your home, schedule, and food waste needs!
Videos Available
Introduction to Backyard Composting with Expert Trainer Natasha Duarte (Composting Association of Vermont)
What does Compost Look Like? Demonstration with Cindy Heath (Composting Champion)
The USDA Solid Waste program grants UVLSRPC funding through September 2024.
View the program summary. We look forward to continue to address food scraps in the waste stream, especially that under municipal management.
RESOURCES
Videos from the 2021 school training and home composting workshops 2023 on our YouTube channel.
HOUSEHOLDS
Information on the basics for households and community scale diversion :
- Food Recovery 101 - An Overview.
- What can you Compost?
- Compost Comics by Marek Bennett. Each printed on one page and folded into 8-page booklet with poster.
SCHOOLS
Videos and additional resources on visioning, management, education, and more can be found in our School Resource Manual - Table of Contents.
Need Help finding something here? Don't hesitate to contact us.
MUNICIPALITIES
Tip Sheet series on Municipal food scrap diversion and management :
- Tip Sheet #1 : How to Start a Municipal Program
- Tip Sheet #2 : Municipal Pilot Program Case Studies
- Tip Sheet #3 : Collection & On-Farm Composting for Municipalities
- Tip Sheet #4 : Permitting Options for Municipal Programs
- In Development... Tip Sheet #5 : How to Engage and Incentivize Community Composting for Schools, Gardens & Neighborhoods
- Tip Sheet #6 : Financial Considerations for Municipal Programs
- Tip Sheet #7 : Frequently Asked Questions
- Tip Sheet #8 : Additional Resources
PROGRAM OVERVIEW
CHALLENGE
Billions of tons of food are discarded every year in the United States. Only 4% of that waste is estimated to end up back in our productive soils through the process of composting. The remaining 96% of food scraps end up in our every day trash that goes to the land fill. There, it makes up nearly a quarter of discarded materials.
PROGRAM GOALS
We seek to advance and support efforts that reduce food scrap in our landfills through composting and other methods. Our main efforts include:
- Support municipalities, schools, and households to identify and implement strategies.
- Built around network and relationship - seeking to identify opportunity and create connections across people and organizations.
- Facilitate visioning, planning, and/or material purchase.
- Provides (or collaborates on) education in technical and scientific aspects, as well as the social dynamics of eliminating food waste and managing a compost in community or with neighbors.
- Works closely with partners to bring the people and resources needed to move goals forward.
SCHOOLS
Every school program is unique.
- Assist public schools to develop, sustain, or re-invigorate food scrap diversion.
- Visit on site (or virtually) to support visioning, student education, or evaluate on/off-site options.
- Provide trainings for administrators, kitchen and custodial staff, and teachers.
- Support the purchase of needed materials.
HOUSEHOLDS
Many residents across the region enjoy shopping carefully to minimize waste, and composting at home or in community. This program seeks to expand these efforts.
- Provide education on-site and virtually at libraries, gardens, farmers markets, and more.
- Share the “how and why” of food scrap diversion.
- Support both individual household, and multi-household efforts.
- Provide material support, as able.
MUNICIPALITIES
We support municipalities in understanding and addressing the problem of food scraps sent to landfill.
- Provide community specific technical assistance.
- Help to assess the scale of the challenge and identify municipal strategies.
- Support financial evaluation.
- Support residential outreach and building partnerships.
- Organize training on collection, composting, and State regulations.
- Assist in developing and implementing pilot programs.