Compost organizations from around the world today announced the establishment of the International Compost Alliance, a voluntary partnership to advance awareness and understanding of the benefits and use of compost on a global scale. The Alliance looks to offer positive solutions for climate change mitigation, soil health and food security, building on years of working collaboration between organics recycling organisations. By pooling expertise and knowledge, the Alliance seeks to maximise the recycling of organic wastes and advance the manufacturing of certified, high-quality compost.
Despite organics recycling being an affordable and proven solution to the climate mitigation and methane emission reduction goals, it remains an underused and undervalued technology. Launching on World Soil Day (hosted December 5th by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations), the Alliance will showcase the importance of compost and its multiple benefits. These include enhancing soil health, improving crop productivity and nutritional value, improving water quality, and supporting biodiversity protection and natural resources preservation. There will also be a focus on collaboration and joint initiatives with the potential for international research.
The founding members of this global alliance include: The Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology (REA); The Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA); Compost Council of Canada (CCC); European Compost Network (ECN); International Solid Waste Association (ISWA); CRÉ – Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Association of Ireland; WasteMINZ (Waste Management Institute of New Zealand); and The United States Composting Council (USCC). Membership is open to any membership-based organisation which aligns with the Alliance’s vision and mission of advancing organics recycling and producing high quality compost and digestate products.
In a joint statement, the International Compost Alliance said: “Compost is a win-win solution to climate change – not only does recycling organic wastes reduce emissions, compost also brings many benefits when used on soils too. This is why we have joined forces to work together to maximise the recycling of organic wastes and advance the manufacturing of certified, high-quality composts to benefit the environment, society and our members.
“We hope the International Compost Alliance helps usher in a new era of global collaboration on this issue, to ensure that compost, and its role in soil health and food security, is central to the efforts in tackling climate change.”