• Map of places Clytie visited
by
Clytie Binder
I saw in North America a wide variety of community composting built by local communities in diverse settings - community gardens, warehouses, urban farms, verges and prisons.
Exploring Community Composting: Some highlights from North America and Cuba
Last year, I had the unique opportunity to embark on a Churchill Fellowship research tour, exploring innovative education models and partnerships to support community composting across parts of North America and Cuba. This journey took me through Los Angeles, New York City, Seattle, Olympia, Toronto, Vancouver, Victoria, Mexico City, Havana, and other parts of Cuba, offering a deep dive into various community composting initiatives and their broader social, economic, and environmental impacts.
Here, I share just a few of the many highlights and insights from this amazing experience.
• Curing compost at Governors Island NYC
The concept and benefits of community composting
Community composting involves creating and using compost within the same community where the organic material is generated, often involving local residents in the process. This approach not only diverts waste from landfills but also provides a raft of additional benefits, including:
Environmental benefits: Reducing greenhouse gas emissions from landfills, enhancing soil health, supporting localised food production, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices.
Social benefits: Strengthening community bonds, providing educational opportunities, fostering a sense of environmental stewardship and increasing local resilience to disruptions and changing conditions.
Health benefits: Promoting physical exercise and outdoor activity, increasing access to freshly grown food, improved mental health outcomes through social connections and belonging, and through civic participation.
Economic benefits: Reducing waste management costs, creating local jobs and volunteering opportunities, supporting local food systems and helping reduce food costs.
• Inspiring models: highlights from my journey
Los Angeles: LA Compost
In Los Angeles, I met with Michael Martinez, Executive Director of LA Compost, and Michelle Barton from LA Sanitation & Environment. LA Compost is a community-based non-profit organisation managing a decentralized network of community composting initiatives throughout the city. Their mission is to connect the people of Los Angeles to the soil and to each other through various community composting models, including:
Community compost hubs: Shared spaces in gardens, schools, parks, places of worship, and workplaces where residents can compost locally.
Farmers’ market drop-offs: Residents bring their compostable materials to farmers' markets, where they are processed locally for food-growing and greening projects.
Compost co-ops: Membership-based composting groups.
• LA Composters. Image courtesy of LA Compost
These models effectively link local government’s social and environmental goals with community needs, building trust and engagement within local communities. Read more here.
• An electric tractor used by LA Compost
Cuba: a national shift to organic agriculture
• Thriving organic agriculture in Havana
Cuba’s transformation to nation-wide organic agriculture following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989 is particularly fascinating.
Faced with a severe shortage of oil and chemical inputs, Cubans rapidly adopted permaculture and other organic methods. Today, Cuba is a living laboratory of organic farming techniques, integrating local food production into urban environments and emphasising compost production to maintain soil fertility. Key practices include vermiculture, biochar, compost teas, crop rotation, and companion planting.
• Worm farms, Havana
The success of urban agriculture in Havana, where approximately 90% of fruit and vegetable requirements are met within city boundaries, illustrates the potential of local composting to support sustainable food systems. Cuba’s experience offers valuable lessons in transitioning away from fossil fuels and designing cities to support localised food production.
• Finished compost at Organopónico Vivero Alamar, Havana
New York City: a multifaceted approach
• Compost bays and aerated static piles, Governors Island
New York City has a dense urban environment where home composting is often impractical, making community composting and city-wide kerbside collection essential components of organic waste management. The New York City Compost Project (NYCP), established by the Department of Sanitation in 1993, aimed to support residents in producing and using compost locally through partnerships with cultural institutions and non-profits.
Key initiatives include:
Community compost sites: Located in community gardens, parks, schools, and other public spaces, these sites vary in size and processing methods but all aim to use compost locally.
Educational programs: Workshops, technical assistance, and outreach efforts to build composting skills and awareness.
• Compost cages, Harlem NYC
• “Hot boxes” Harlem NYC
The Harlem Grown initiative, for instance, combines youth development with urban farming, mentoring local youth and fostering healthy lifestyles. Another example, the LES Ecology Center, has successfully transformed abandoned areas into thriving community gardens and compost sites, demonstrating the power of local engagement. See more here
A few months after returning to Australia I was shocked to hear that with the introduction of kerbside organic collection, all funding to New York City’s community compost program has been discontinued. With 100% of its funding cut this has severely threatened the long term viability of the community composting initiatives that have developed over the past few decades and they are currently appealing to decision makers to rethink these devastating budget cuts.
Read more in this article from the Institute of Local Self-Reliance.
Washington Correctional Center: restorative justice through composting
In Shelton, Washington, I visited the Washington State Correctional Center, where staff and inmates, supported by the Sustainability in Prisons Project (SPP), have created an extensive composting program. This initiative includes black soldier larvae and worm farms, vegetable and flower gardening, beekeeping, aquaponics, and more. Read further about this here
• Compost bins and vegetable garden, Washington Correctional Center. Image courtesy of SPP.
The program’s impact on inmates is profound, offering them a sense of purpose, connection to nature, and valuable skills for life after release. As one inmate described, composting has “returned my humanity and self-worth” and provided a clear path for a career upon release. This model of restorative justice highlights the transformative power of sustainability-focused programs in correctional facilities.
• Compost Technicians attending to worm farms at Washington Correctional Center. Image courtesy of SPP.
Reflections and future directions
My Churchill Fellowship research tour highlighted the immense potential of community composting to drive environmental sustainability, social cohesion, and economic resilience. The diverse models and initiatives I observed reveal that effective community composting is not a one-size-fits-all solution but rather a flexible approach that must be tailored to the unique needs and characteristics of each community. Please see my summary of my recommendations here or the full report can be downloaded from my Fellowship page
Building a network in Australia
Since returning to Australia, I have been inspired to connect with like-minded individuals and form the Local Community Compost Alliance (LOCCAL). This national network aims to support community-led composting initiatives, providing the skills, knowledge, and resources needed to thrive.
Please follow the progress of LOCCAL by subscribing to our newsletter and sharing your stories with us about how composting connects you with your community. We want to hear from composters all around Australia!
• Kensington Estate Compost Hub, Melbourne
As we transition to a circular economy, it is crucial to foster collaboration between policymakers, community groups, and industry. By doing so, we can ensure that the shift toward sustainable food production and waste management is inclusive, effective, and resilient, drawing on the rich experiences and insights gained from practitioners in community composting the world over.
• Community compost hub, Brisbane
Please also see Episode 124 of Morag Gamble’s Sense Making in a Changing World Podcast on this topic.
• Community Compost collection points, Hudson River Park, NYC
Clytie Binder