Compost Caucus opens for membership

The U.S. Composting Council (USCC) is reaching out to members of Congress eligible to join the Compost Caucus, created this spring by the bipartisan team of Reps. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., and Julia Brownley, D-Calif.

The Composting Caucus will serve as an informal group of members dedicated to supporting efforts to advance compost utilization, compost manufacturing and organics recycling, collection and education programs that lead to composting.

“USCC wants to work with caucus members to provide information about how compost and composting can grow local economies with vital green jobs, sequester carbon and mitigate climate chance impacts through composts’ ability to combat drought resistance, filter stormwater and provide vital organic matter to amend healthy soil,” USCC Executive Director Frank Franciosi says.

Established in 1992, the USCC is dedicated to the development, expansion and promotion of the U.S. compost manufacturing industry.

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“This is something that can bring members on both sides of the aisle together,” says Burchett, who ran a composting business in his home state of Tennessee in the 1990s. “There’s a lot of good things that can be done when it comes to composting and recycling, and launching this caucus is a good first step to get members working on it together.

Burchett is co-sponsor of the Recycling and Composting Accountability Act to bring together economic data on the recycling and composting industries, and Brownley is a three-time cosponsor of the Compost Act, providing funding for compost business investment and startup costs.

The USCC hopes to work with other coalitions to educate legislators and congressional staff through briefings, tours and networking events offered through the Compost Caucus. House members who wish to join, or residents who would like their representative to be part of the caucus, can contact Kelsey Wolfgram or Scott Weathers.