FORCE CORNER

New U.S. Poster Design for International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) 2025

Meet the Winner of the ICAW 2025 Poster Contest

This year’s ICAW 2025 Poster Contest winner is Abbie Sawyer from Athens, Georgia. Her entry was chosen from the hundreds of entries received from throughout the world (entries were received from 73 different countries).

Abbie is an artist, nature enthusiast, and Compost Education Specialist for the Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department.

Her poster design was carved out of linoleum, hand-printed, and digitized to add color and text. The top of the poster shows off the skyline of Athens, Georgia, with the green roof of City Hall visible in the top left corner.

When asked what ICAW and this year’s theme meant to her, she said, “Communities rely on organic recycling on all scales. Whether you compost garden scraps in a three-bin system or generate tons of compost in an industrial facility, you make a difference! It's time for us to embrace decay and rot on.”

To learn more about ICAW visit the link below.

https://www.compostfoundation.org/ICAW/ICAW-Home

USCC Compost Operations Training Course 2024 

October 28-November 1, 2024 – Compost Operations Training Course – FORCE (floridaforce.org)

Ready to jumpstart or expand your career in the composting industry? Visit the FORCE website link here, click on the EVENTS page in the main navigation menu and you will see the FORCE Events page. There you will find links to all upcoming organics recycling events in Florida. Scroll to October 28-November 1, 2024 and you will see the USCC Compost Operations Training Course happening in Seffner, FL. This training course gives you the knowledge you need to run a successful composting facility. With over 40 trainings historically conducted across the United States, the Compost Operations Training Course (COTC) and its graduates have an outstanding reputation, and many students proclaim it "the best course I've ever taken." Peter, Lauren and Miriam presented at this year's training course. 

Learn More About Food Waste

Florida Food Waste - FORCE (floridaforce.org)

Interested in learning more about food waste in Florida and how your organization can help Florida reach its 75% recycling goal? Visit the FORCE website link here, hover over the RESOURCES page and you will see the FORCE Florida Food Waste subpage. There you will find links highlighting the importance of food waste reduction in Florida, including a link to Florida Food Waste Prevention Week (April 7-13, 2025), which includes activities and events aimed at raising awareness and encouraging behavior changes to reduce food waste. The page also contains resources for organizations and local governments on food waste generation and recovery, including historical and current guides, resources and reports.

Biosolids Composting

Biosolids Composting in Florida

Biosolids Composting - FORCE (floridaforce.org)

Some of you know about biosolids a.k.a “sewage sludge.” For those that do not, this nutrient-rich organic material is a result from the treatment of domestic sewage in wastewater treatment facilities. After undergoing processes to remove contaminants and pathogens, biosolids can be safely recycled and applied as fertilizer to improve and maintain productive soils and stimulate plant growth. To learn more about how to manage biosolids in Florida as a part of an organics recycling program visit the FORCE website link here, hover over the EDUCATION page and you will see the FORCE Rules and Regulations subpage. There you will find links about biosolids in Florida, including Florida’s biosolids rules and a link to the FDEP Domestic Wastewater Biosolids page which contains a biosolids land application site map, a self-evaluation tool for land application sites, a biosolids calculation spreadsheet and other useful links for biosolids in Florida.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Food Diversion

EPA Organics Recycling Program 

EPA Food Diversion - FORCE (floridaforce.org)

Looking for information on food waste organics in the United States including what your organization can do to help reduce food waste? Visit the FORCE website link here, hover over the RESOURCES page and you will see the EPA Food Diversion subpage under the Food Waste subpage. There you will find links to the EPA & USDA Food Loss and Waste Reduction Goal for 2030, the EPA’s Food Recovery Hierarchy, and a multitude of resources regarding Municipal Food Waste Planning and the EPA’s guides for reducing food waste at business and work locations. A few of our favorite tools are the “Food Waste Assessment Guidebook” and the “Food Waste Management Cost Calculator,” which estimates the cost competitiveness of alternatives to food waste disposal, including source reduction, donation, composting & recycling of yellow grease.

State Regulations

Florida Department of Environmental Protection State Regulations

State Regulations - FORCE (floridaforce.org)

Looking for a list of state regulations and policy memos regarding composting and organics recycling in Florida? Visit the FORCE website  State Regulations page. There you will find links to Florida’s composting rules and regulations, along with an FDEP Composting Regulatory Report. This report provides an analysis of, and recommendations for, solid waste regulations for organics recycling facilities for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Florida School Food Waste Program and Resources Part 2 

Florida School Food Waste Program and Resources Part 2 

Resources Page for Florida (FL) Schools and Food Waste Management

Visit the FORCE website school food waste sub-page and hover your mouse over it to explore innovative information for FL school food waste reduction programs, including but not limited to the following resources:  1) FDACS Role, 2) Food Recovery Importance, 3) School Food Waste Challenge, 4) Resources for Schools, 5) School Gardens, 6) Share Tables, 7) Food Donations, 8) Starting a Food Donation Program, and 9) Food Donation Programs.   This subpage contains a plethora of information to learn the language and the important role that food waste management plays in the FL school system. According to the USDA, K-12 schools have a special role in not only reducing, recovering, and recycling food waste on their premises, but also in educating the next generation about recovering wholesome, excess food for donation.  And serve as an important conduit for reducing food to conserve nature’s resources and natural resources in food production.  The information on this page is intended to provide FL specific information to FL schools (K-12).

Please help FORCE spread the word to the appropriate contacts for the schools in your area or to schools your kids attend.

Florida School Food Waste Program and Resources

Resources Page for Florida (FL) Schools and Food Waste Management - https://floridaforce.org/school-food-waste/

Visit the FORCE website school food waste sub-page and hover your mouse over it to explore innovative information for FL school food waster education programs, including but not limited to the following resources: 1) FDACS Role, 2) Food Recovery Importance, 3) School Food Waste Challenge, 4) Resources for Schools, 5) School Gardens, 6) Share Tables, 7) Food Donations, 8) Starting a Food Donation Program, and 9) Food Donation Programs.   This subpage contains a plethora of information to learn the language and the important role that food waste management plays in the FL school system. According to the USDA, K-12 schools have a special role in not only reducing, recovering, and recycling food waste on their premises, but also in educating the next generation about recovering wholesome, excess food for donation.  And serve as an important conduit for reducing food to conserve nature’s resources and natural resources in food production.  The information on this page is intended to provide FL specific information to FL schools (K-12).

Please help FORCE spread the word to the appropriate contacts for the schools in your area or to schools your kids attend.  Thank you.

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