The Garbage to Garden Project: Providing Composting Services and Education

View the project final report

Commodities

Practices

• Soil Management: composting
• Sustainable Communities: community services, food loss and waste recovery/reduction

The Garbage to Garden Project provided weekly, curbside compost pickup and hands-on learning for the 15 participating families in Johnson County. Of the 15 families selected, 12 families consistently provided materials for pickup each week. The weekly pickup was coupled with educational opportunities that reached approximately 400 residents in Johnson County including elementary school students, high school students, and adults both inside the classroom and at the compost site. Educational composting programs resulted in awareness of composting, skills to begin backyard composting, and improved composting efficiency.

1. Engage over 100 students with the benefits of composting through classroom presentations and youth workshops
2. Provide an enriching opportunity for 15 families to engage in soil conservation at home through a curbside composting service
3. Replenish the significantly degraded soil at the Indiana Nut and Fruit Growers Association's Fruit and Nut Grove at Johnson County Park through composting and determine the possibility for a future, larger composting service provided by Johnson County Soil and Water Conservation District
4. Share program results with a wider audience through social media posts such as videos and photos