Minnesota Composting Council Newsletter - April 2026 | | Read on for news, updates, upcoming events, and job opportunities. Do you have something you'd like to include in next month's newsletter? Email Addie Morrisette. | | Northwestern Minnesota counties selected for upcoming Residential Organics Recycling Awareness Campaign | | |
The counties of Polk, Beltrami, Clearwater, Hubbard, Mahnomen, and Norman, as well as the overlapping the Tribal lands of White Earth Nation were selected by the Minnesota Composting Council for an upcoming Residential Organics Recycling Awareness Campaign. The Awareness Campaigns are fully funded by an EPA REO grant.
The Awareness Campaign will educate residents to increase participation and reduce contamination in residential organics recycling programs. Campaign assets will be customized from templates available on lovetocompost.com. Organics recycling is rapidly expanding in Northwestern Minnesota, and the awareness campaign will compliment several recent developments.
In 2025, the MPCA formally permitted the Polk Source-Separated Organic Material Compost Facility for finished compost use and sale. The Polk Materials Recovery Facility is equipped with robotic sorters to separate co-collected bagged organics from the incoming municipal solid waste stream.
Currently, there are three organics drop-offs and large generator organics collection in the region. Organics co-collection with garbage is just rolling out for all residents in the 6-county region. The selected counties seek to increase participation in their residential organics program through an awareness campaign.
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2026 Marks Resource Renew’s 25th Food Scraps Composting Anniversary!
In 2026, Resource Renew reached an exciting milestone - The Western Lake Superior Sanitary District has been composting the community’s food scraps for 25 years. They’ve come a long way since 2001. Resource Renew implemented the first residential Food Scraps Drop Site Program in the country.
Click here to read more.
| | International Compost Awareness Week | May 3-9, 2026 | |
Ramsey County Plate to Garden | May 2, 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Ramsey County residents can pick up free compost at the Ramsey County Environmental Center on Saturday, May 2, while supplies last. Limit 3 bags per household.
Location: 1700 Kent St, Roseville
St. Paul School of Northern Lights Plate to Garden | May 9, 9 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Get high quality, locally produced compost from discarded food scraps. $5 for 20lbs. BYO 5 gal. bucket.
Location: 768 Hamline Avenue S. St. Paul
City of Plymouth Plate to Garden | May 8
Tree and Shrub Sale customers may pick up a free bag of compost with their trees and shrubs. The compost is the finished product of the organics recycling process.
Location: 14900 23rd Ave N, Plymouth
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Tangletown Neighborhood Association Plate to Garden | May 16, 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tangletown Neighborhood Day is a day to spruce up our neighborhood boulevards, pick up compost to nourish your gardens, and connect with neighbors! We suggest a donation of $3 per 20 pounds of compost.
Location: 106 E. Diamond Lake Rd.
City of Hopkins Downtown Park Organics Drop-off Site Open House | May 5 from 5 p.m. - 7 p.m.
The city of Hopkins is hosting an open house at the new Organics drop off site at Downtown Park. Residents will have a chance to pick up a starter kit, meet neighbors, tour the site, and more.
Location: Downtown Park, 40 9th Avenue S, Hopkins
Compost Operations Training Course 2026: Merced, CA | June 1–5, 2026
A 5-day, hands-on course. Build practical composting knowledge through in-depth instruction, hands-on activities, a team pile build, monitoring exercises, and local facility tours designed for both new and experienced professionals.
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Iowa Composting Council Events
Iowa Composting Council Annual Meeting | June 9th, 5 - 6:30 p.m.
Register here for the IACC's Annual Meeting of Membership on June 9th featuring Guest Speaker Frank Franciosi! That's right! The USCC's Retired Executive Director and Fearless Leader Frank Franciosi is coming to Iowa to speak about the compost industry: where we've been, what's happening now, and what he foresees for the future of the compost industry!
Iowa Composting Council Golf Outing Fund-raiser | June 10th,
9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Register here for the IACC's first-ever Golf Outing Fund-Raiser. Join us for a day of swings, laughs, and eco-friendly bragging rights as we raise funds to support young and emerging professionals in the composting industry. Think of it as investing in the future of soil… by hitting a small ball across it.
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So you think you can compost? | Lunch & Learn session on Tuesday, May 5th, 11 a.m. – 12 p.m., evening session on Wednesday, May 6th, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Join this informative webinar focused on organics recycling. This webinar is for anyone who has already started their composting journey, just getting started or simply just wanting to learn more!
Staff from multiple Twin Cities Metro cities will talk about where our waste goes, the process of how compost is made, and share their insights into the setting up tips and tricks of organics recycling. Sign up for the day and time that works for you to receive a calendar invite with the meeting link.
NERC: Building Better Systems: Infrastructure That Drives Recycling Behavior | Thursday, May 7th, 12:30 - 2:00 p.m. CST
This session explores the critical role of infrastructure for driving behavior change in recycling and composting programs. Education raises awareness, but it’s infrastructure that removes barriers, creates accountability, and helps ensure that better behaviors actually stick.
Speakers will highlight successful food waste diversion programs in the United Kingdom, Washington, DC and Connecticut. Presentations will touch on program results, successes, challenges, accessibility components, the element of tourism and the technology utilized to support these programs.
USCC: Unlocking Potential: Growing and Developing Your Talent | Wednesday, May 27, 1:00 p.m. CST
Organizations that invest in employee development are 17% more profitable and 52% more productive, yet many companies struggle to do this well or don’t know where to start. If you’re ready to move the needle and intentionally invest in employee development, don’t miss Unlocking Potential: Growing and Developing Your Talent. This session promises to be engaging, informative and packed full of valuable insights that will help you transform your approach to employee development.
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Environmental assistance loans
Environmental assistance loans provide financial assistance to accelerate the application and/or improvement of environmental processes and technologies in Minnesota by providing assistance for the capital costs (machinery and equipment) of eligible projects.
Priority eligible projects: green chemistry, pollution prevention, source reduction, recycling, and organics recycling.
Eligible loan costs: limited to the capital costs of implementing waste or pollution prevention technologies in Minnesota — the costs of acquisition of machinery and equipment, including freight and installation, and related improvements.
Applications accepted on a rolling basis.
| | The MNCC has a Job Opportunities page on our website. Do you have a job posting to promote? Send it to compostmn@gmail.com. | | |
Dem-Con Public Relations & Education Coordinator
This position is responsible for the continued growth and development of the Green Grades recycling and education program. This role would include educational content development, virtual and in person facility tours, community education and outreach events, social media posts on recycling, school presentations, grant applications and management, and engagement in industry trade associations. The role also includes supporting the Marketing Director with content development and coordination of marketing efforts with the educational program.
Circular Action Alliance - Program Analyst - Minnesota
Reporting to the Minnesota State Program Manager, the Minnesota Program Analyst will be responsible for conducting analysis of Minnesota’s Packaging Waste and Cost Reduction Act program obligations and waste management systems to support the development of Minnesota’s stewardship plan, which is due to Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) October 1, 2028. This role requires a blend of technical data analysis, regulatory insight, and stakeholder collaboration to ensure Minnesota’s EPR program is data-driven, equitable, and effective.
Supervisor of Composting & Wood Processing - Dakota Prairie Composting
Provide direction and leadership to team while operating and maintaining heavy, motorized equipment used for processing/composting food and yard waste, off site wood grinding and colored mulch operations in a safe and efficient manner.
Scale Attendant - Dakota Prairie Composting
Operate the scale house to record in-coming and out-going weights, generate billing information for Finance and accept payments for product sales. Advises and recommends proper application for compost and soil blends to customers. Inspects in-bound loads for contamination.
Heavy Equipment Operator, Composting & Wood Processing - Part Time/Seasonal - Dakota Prairie Composting
Operate a front-end loader or skid-loader to move, manipulate and load organic materials. Load trucks/ trailers with a skid-loader or front-end loader. Load residential customers with compost/mulch products. General site maintenance, heavy equipment cleaning. Performs daily cleaning and inspections, ensuring safety devices are in working order on heavy equipment.
| | | | Support Composting in Minnesota | | Follow MNCC on Social Media | | If you have an article, event, idea, or event you'd like to share, please send your submissions to: Addie Morrisette at amorrisette@carvercountymn.gov. | | |
The Minnesota Composting Council is dedicated to the development, expansion,
and promotion of the composting industry based upon sound science,
principles of sustainability, and economic viability.
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The Minnesota Composting Council is the MN State Chapter of the United States Composting Council. The Minnesota Composting Council received its non-profit status from the State of Minnesota in January 2013. It officially became the State Chapter of the United States Composting Council (USCC) in December 2013. | | | | |
