Georgia Composting Council Resources

Find a Compost Facility

Looking for a compost facility? Check out this map from Sustainable Packaging

General Compost Resources

Composting and Mulching in Georgia provides general overview of composting and mulching as well as links to other resources

Compost Resources for Kids and Teachers compilation of composts activities, resources, and videos for kids and teachers

2024 Compost Awareness Week in Georgia Proclamation

Composting and Climate Change

Drawdown GA Blog: Feature on Climate Solutions and Georgia Composting Council

US EPA’s searchable list of local government climate action plans (CAPs) that include materials management and waste actions, including organics recycling and wasted food.

US EPA Report on Quantifying Methane Emissions from Landfilled Food Waste – discusses the impact food waste has on U.S. landfill greenhouse gas emissions and methane emissions released into the atmosphere from decaying food waste in municipal solid waste landfills in the United States from 1990 to 2020.

PFAs (Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and Impact on Composting

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) resist oil, water, heat, and grease and are found in consumer products. These chemicals to not degrade easily and can persist in the environment. Learn more about the impact of PFAS on composting.

USCC is calling for bans on use of the chemicals and immediate research to study their impacts on plant uptake. Read their US Composting Council PFAs Positioning and Guidance Statement on PFAs and impact on composting.

Backyard Composting Resources

Did you know 40% of food in America is wasted? In Georgia, food is the single largest component of material being landfilled. Want to make a difference in reducing food scraps going to the landfill? Compost your food scraps, soiled paper, and coffee grounds. Here are several resources to help you compost at home.

Composting at Home: An Introduction to the Basics Informative video to help you get started composting at home produced by Institute for Local Self-Reliance

Georgia Backyard Composting Brochure Provides basic information to help you get started with composting at home. Produced by the Georgia Recycling Coalition.

Backyard Composting Fact Sheet Tips for successful composting at home produced by the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station.

Reference Guide for backyard composting and vermicomposting Resources pertaining to backyard composting and vermicomposting gathered by the US Composting Council Research Education Foundation.

Georgia Recycling Coalition (GRC) Community-Composting Composting resources for the public, parents, and teachers.

Community-based Composting Resources

Community Composting Done Right: A Guide to Best Management Practices Publication is designed to support new and existing community-scale composters in successfully managing their composting process and site, with focus on those sites accepting food scraps.

Community-based Composting White Paper Strategies to increase sustainable compost production for Metro Atlanta’s urban farms and community gardens.

Beyond Recycling: Composting Food Scraps & Soiled Paper prepared for EPA Region 9 by the Center for a Competitive Waste Industry.

Community Composting in GA Facebook Page

Residential Source Separated Organics Collection Tool Kit Designed to provide guidance and resources for local governments to evaluate the feasibility of residential curbside collection of source-separated organics (SSO).

Regulations and Legislation

Georgia’s Solid Waste Rules for Composting and Anaerobic Digestion

Permit-by-Rule Guide (Georgia Environmental Protection Division)

Permit-by-Rule Training Information (Georgia Environmental Protection Division)

SWANA, Georgia Chapter Members receive access to Georgia Chapter “News You Can Use” emails with regulatory and legislative updates

For more information about composting regulations in Georgia, visit Georgia Environmental Protection Division website.

Regional and National Resources

2024 International Compost Awareness Week-Marketing Toolkit Check out the new toolkit for partners and make plans to participate in International Compost Awareness Week.

US Composting Council (USCC) National, non-profit trade and professional organization dedicated to promoting the recycling of organics materials to composting.

Composting Council Research Education Foundation (CCREF) Provides resources, educational materials, training, networking, and career advancement opportunities for professionals and all those affiliated with the compost manufacturing and organics recycling industry.

Composting Collaborative The Composting Collaborative brings together composters, businesses, and policymakers to share best practices and resources and find innovative solutions to shared challenges.

Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR) Contains publications and resources to promote community-based composting.

Community Composting Law & Policy Project Project provides legal and policy support to community composters facing regulatory, zoning, and permitting barriers.

US EPA Region 4

Further with Food Provides comprehensive information about food loss and waste in the United States and about solutions dedicated to reducing it.

Compost Facts

The microbes generate heat, water vapor, and carbon dioxide as they transform raw materials into a stable soil conditioner. Active composting is typically characterized by a high-temperature phase that sanitizes the product and allows a high rate of decomposition, followed by a lower-temperature phase that allows the product to stabilize while still decomposing at a lower rate.

Compost can be produced from many feedstocks (e.g., the raw organic materials, such as leaves, manures or food scraps.)

Coarser composts have been used with great success as a mulch for erosion control and have been successfully used on sites where conventional erosion control methods have not performed well. In Europe, fine compost has been mixed with water and sprayed onto slopes to control erosion.