NYS Compost Awareness Week 2022
2022 Theme: Recipe for Regeneration: Compost!
Dates: Sunday, May 1st - Saturday, May 7th.
NYS Compost Awareness Week occurs each year during the first full week of May. Join NYSAR3 and communities across the State for this annual celebration that promotes International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW), an initiative by the Compost Research and Education Foundation (CREF) that strives to raise public awareness about the many benefits of composting and how to make and use compost to regenerate soils.
See below for a list of events and resources related to composting. Do you know of events happening in your region? Submit information to NYSAR3's Organics Council Chair, Jesse Kerns, at jekerns@syr.edu to be considered for inclusion in the listings below:
Poster & Video Contest
The Compost Research and Education Foundation (CREF) hosts an annual poster and video contest to help promote Interational Cimpost Awareness Week (ICAW). Click the links below for more informaiton and be sure to enter your poster design or video by November 1st, 2021 to be considered for ICAW 2022!
• Poster Contest (Age 14 and Older)
• Video Contest (Age 10 – 13)
Composting Educational Opportunities
Event listings coming early 2022!
Compost Bin Sales
Compost bin sales coming early 2022!
Food Scraps Drop-Off & Collection Services
If you are not able to compost at home, check out the map below to see if there are any food scraps drop-off programs or residential collection services near you. (Note: Some programs may be suspended due to COVID-19. Contact local program managers before attempting to drop off food scraps.)
Home Composting Resources
Are you interested in learning how to compost at home or sharing educational composting resources with others? Explore the links below:
- NYS Department of Environmental Conservation: "Easy Home Composting!" Poster
- Cornell Waste Management Institute: "Composting at Home" Guide
- Cornell Cooperative Extension Tompkins County: "Quick-Start Guide to Compost"
- US Composting Council: "Residential Composting during COVID-19" Factsheet
- US Environmental Protection Agency: "Composting At Home" Web Page
- Institute for Local Self-Reliance: "Home Composting Basics"
- National Public Radio: "How To Compost At Home"
Compost Videos & Music
- Kiss the Ground: "The Compost Story" Video
- Nate & Hila: "Compost (feat. DiorNoel) - A Portrait of the NYC Composting Community" Music Video
- Rot N' Roll: "Rot'n'Roll" Digital Album
- DEC/Town of Bethlehem/FoodSraps360: The Town of Bethlehem's Food Scraps Composting Facility Facebook Video
- DEC: Troubleshooting Your Compost Pile with DEC's Gary Feinland Facebook Video
NYS CAW 2021 News Coverage
- Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC): DEC Announces May 2-8 New York State Compost Awareness Week
- Adirondack Almanack: Grow, Eat, Compost, Repeat! Compost Awareness Week
- Ithaca.com: Compost Giveaway at Newfield Town Hall May 6
- Waste Advantage Magazine: New York Department of Environmental Conservation Announces May 2 – 8 New York State Compost Awareness Week
NYS CAW Working Group
Are you interested in organizing a compost-related event for your community or helping to promote NYS Compost Awareness Week? If so, consider joining a network of NYS compost educators, community organizers, and local governments who are actively participating and supporting each other in this year's celebrations. By joining, you will receive access to:
- CAW social media posts and imagery
- A CAW proclamation template for local governments
- An editable CAW promotional flier
- Ideas for compost-related events and educational opportunities
- A listserv of more 80 CAW working group members
To join, email NYSAR3's Organics Council Chair, Jesse Kerns, at jekerns@syr.edu.
