A new model compost procurement policy developed by the Environmental Law Institute and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) could help municipalities around the country in their efforts to divert food scraps and other organic materials from their landfills and incinerators and, in so doing, realize myriad economic and environmental benefits. The model policy, which is designed to be an off-the-shelf, easily adaptable tool, requires municipalities to purchase finished compost products when appropriate for use in public projects such as landscaping, construction, and stormwater management—provided it is not cost-prohibitive to acquire. The model policy also encourages quasi-governmental and local private entities to purchase compost, when possible, for use in their projects.
Adopting a compost procurement policy can yield a multitude of economic benefits, including increased compost sales for local suppliers; development of new compost processing businesses, which in turn strengthens and diversifies organic waste recycling infrastructure; and reduced irrigation and fertilizer costs as a result of greater soil nutrient and water retention. In addition, municipal compost policies can foster sustainability through greenhouse gas emissions reductions (by diverting organic materials from landfills, where they emit methane), soil quality improvements (from cycling carbon and nutrients back into soil), erosion prevention, and reduced stormwater runoff.
To date, closing the organics recycling loop by requiring compost purchases is an underutilized tool in municipal efforts to manage organic waste sustainably and cost-effectively. By providing model language, the new resource is intended to facilitate the widespread adoption of compost procurement policies by truncating the time and effort that would be required if a municipality had to start from scratch. The model is based on extensive research on best practices from around the country, including locations such as King County, WA; Sacramento, CA; Berkeley, CA; and Denver, CO.