International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is celebrated annually during the first full week of May and is a time to learn more about composting organic wastes (e.g., landscape wastes and food scraps) as part of fostering healthier soil and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A theme is chosen for ICAW in the US each year, and the theme becomes the focus of a poster contest, in which artists age 14 and older from around the world compete. The image above is the winning design for 2025, created by Abbie Sawyer from Georgia.
This year’s theme is “Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost!” As explained on the Compost Research & Education Foundation website, “This theme was chosen with the goal of highlighting composting in all kinds of communities at any scale – from the backyard home composter to community composters, to large-scale facilities to all those who recognize the many benefits of using compost on our soils. As has been done for the past several years, the theme was chosen by all of the international partners who are part of the International Compost Alliance – making it truly an international theme. This year’s theme was inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”*
In its press release announcing ICAW, the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition (IFSCC) explains the following benefits of organic waste recycling and compost use for Illinois communities:
- Composting reduces methane emissions through aerobic managed decomposition, providing for a more sustainable community.
- Composting lowers greenhouse gases by improving carbon sequestration in the soil. Getting the carbon back into the soil serves as a “carbon bank,” helping to store carbon thereby removing it from the atmosphere.
- Compost provides essential nutrients for plants, promoting vibrant gardens and farms. Healthier soil leads to healthier, more nutritious food for our communities.
- Compost use increases the water-holding capacity of our soils. This is important as our communities are more and more often seeing drought and or intense rain events causing soil runoff and erosion.
- Community Gardens and Green Spaces: Compost plays a vital role in community gardens, fostering green spaces that provide fresh produce, recreational opportunities, and community gathering places.
Illinois will be hosting over 50 in-person and virtual events during ICAW in over 12 counties. To see a full list of events and find registration information for those that are vitual, check out the IFSCC ICAW 2025 webpage: https://illinoiscomposts.org/icaw-2025/.
If you’re interested in hosting your own ICAW event, check out the IFSCC’s ICAW Host Toolkit, which includes:
- tabling signage,
- resources for libraries,
- a list of relevant children’s books,
- resources for park districts,
- social media resources,
- activities for kids,
- a guide for hosting a “compost giveback” event (aka a “compost giveaway” or a “bring your own bucket” event),
- a link to a spreadsheet of food scrap municipal composting programs and drop-off locations, and
- a link to IFSCC’s guide for where to buy finished compost in IL. (Note that this only includes IFSCC member organizations that are compost manufacturing facilities. If you don’t see a site near you, do an Internet search or consult your county solid waste agency or recycling coordinator for guidance.)
If you’d like to learn more about how to start composting at home, see https://illinoiscomposts.org/composting-at-home/. You can also check out resources from Illinois Extension at https://extension.illinois.edu/composting.
Happy composting!
*Learn more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how ISTC technical assistance efforts relate to them at https://tap.istc.illinois.edu/tap-alignment-with-un-sustainable-development-goals-sdgs/.
The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center is an organizational member of the Illinois Food Scrap and Composting Coalition.
