Composting facilities in Texas and Tennessee, a San Diego, California-based nonprofit program and the city of Minneapolis were among the honorees recognized at the US Composting Council’s (USCCs) annual awards, which were presented at the council's conference and trade show, Compost2019, January in Glendale, Arizona.
Composter of the Year - Large Scale was awarded to Texas Pure Products, a facility established in 1992 by the city of Plano and member cities Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Richardson and North Texas Municipal Water District. Compost produced at the facility is STA certified compost and OMRI listed, made from feedstock collected from groceries, markets and "back-of-house" preparation of food and yard trimmings.
The H. Clark Gregory Award, which recognizes grassroots education and awareness of composting, was presented to Dianne Hazard of the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation in San Diego, California. In 1983, Solana Center pioneered the first comprehensive curbside recycling program in Southern California, and is one of the first community-based recycling programs in the U.S.
The City of Minneapolis, Minnesota received the Organics Diversion Program of the Year award for the education and outreach that has led to 49,350 households (46 percent) participating in the city's two-year-old citywide organics recycling program, with a contamination rate of less than one percent in residential curbside organics.
Composter of the Year-Small Scale award went to The Compost Company, a 5,000 ton per year facility in Nashville, Tennessee. The company provides both manufacturing and collection from locations, such as Music City Center, Nashville's LEED Gold convention center, as well as The Country Music Hall of Fame, which houses three restaurants and caters around 550 events annually, as well as numerous locations around the city through a contract with Metropolitan Nashville.
Awards are presented each year at the USCC's annual conference. The next awards celebration will be Jan. 28-31, 2020 at the Charleston Convention Center, South Carolina. Deadline for nominations is Oct. 5, 2019.