Composting for Community Institute for Local Self-Reliance

How does the return on investment for community-based composting compare to that of centralized composting? What unique co-benefits do community composters bring to the table, beyond waste diversion? In this episode of the Composting for Community Podcast, we are joined by Kourtnii Brown, founder and director of Common Compost (Oakland, California) and CEO of the California Alliance for Community Composting. We discuss the immense potential of community composting to scale up and meet diversion goals and improve community resilience based on the findings of the Community Composting for Green Spaces (CCGS) 2021/22 pilot program.

What do we lose when we no longer have control over what happens to the waste we produce? In this episode of the Composting for Community Podcast, we speak to Melissa Corichi of Let It Rot, a community composting business in Palm Beach County in South Florida. Melissa has been operating her business since 2015 with the aim of diverting waste in her local community, growing food, and protecting the environment. Her business, however, has been put in jeopardy due to the two incinerators in her county run by the local Solid Waste Authority (SWA). Because of local laws, the SWA claims complete jurisdiction over all waste generated in the county, effectively disallowing the recycling of organic materials beyond the backyard scale. The result: Let It Rot is closing its doors.

What role does composting play in subverting barriers to local food sovereignty? In this episode of the Composting for Community Podcast, we are joined by Khari Diop, an environmental educator, food security activist, and fifth-generation food grower from Atlanta.

How can a community reeling from multiple economic shocks use composting as a tool to build a more equitable and resilient food system? In this episode of the Composting for Community Podcast, we are joined by Renee V. Wallace, a food systems and composting entrepreneur from Detroit. Renee shares her wisdom from having spent over a decade connecting diverse stakeholders to cultivate a systems approach for advancing community-based composting in Detroit, Flint, and beyond.

ILSR’s Jess Del Fiacco and Brenda Platt talk to three community composters in California who have been impacted by solid waste franchise districts.

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Sophia Hosain is joined by Composting for Community’s intern Alondra Sierra and Elinor Crescenzi, an activist, organizer, and a founding member of the Food Cycle Collective in Pomona, California.

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