Resources

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Backyard Composting: It’s Only Natural (PDF) (2 pp, 627K)
Provides reasons for composting, what you need to do to make compost, what to add and what not to add, and troubleshooting hints.

Organic Materials Management Strategies (PDF) (58 pp, 451K)
Describes seven composting strategies for organic materials and presents an analysis of the benefits and costs of each strategy, the potential for diverting organic materials from landfills or waste-to-energy facilities, and the potential markets for diverted organic materials.
Pack a Waste Free Lunch
This web page for teachers contains a poster and activities that will help students learn how to reduce, reuse, and recycle items in their school lunches.
WasteWise update: Recovering Organic Wastes-Giving Back to Mother Nature (PDF) (14 pp, 1.1MB)
Highlights a number of organic waste diversion and recovery options implemented by WasteWise partners, including composting, vermicomposting, mulching and chipping, grasscycling, and donation. Provides basic information on the science of composting and tips on getting started with organics recovery.
Large Scale Organic Material Composting (PDF) (16 pp, 236K)
A manual from North Carolina State University.
Value of Recovered Organic Materials (PDF) (6 pp, 2.3MB)
Developed by EPA Region 9, this document has useful information on the value of recycling food waste and wood scraps. It contains many useful tips and presents the benefits of different forms of food waste diversion.
Additional EPA composting publications
Food waste publications
Yard trimmings publications
Wood waste publications

Composting — EPA’s Composting Website
California Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery’s (CalRecycle’s) Organic Materials Management Home Page contains information on compost, mulch, grasscycling, and other topics relating to the management and use of organic resources.
Massachusetts’ Annual Organics Recycling Summit focuses on various issues associated with organics recycling such as measuring composting program success or progress and ensuring connections among generators, haulers, and processors.
The Washington Organic Recycling Council is a membership organization dedicated to the support and promotion of all aspects of organics recycling.
Additional composting resources
Yard trimmings resources
Food waste resources
Wood waste resources