International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW)

2025 International Compost Awareness Week: Sustainable Communities Start with Compost!

May 4-10, 2025

International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. Celebrated internationally, the goal of ICAW is to work together to raise public awareness on why we all should be composting our organics and using compost to create healthier soil. The program includes a poster contest held in the fall and thousands of activities and events held during the week in May. Throughout the week of ICAW, events are held all over the country and the world with communities, schools, governments and businesses planning different activities to encourage and celebrate composting – all types of composting – from backyard to large–scale.

Learn More About ICAW

Get Involved & ICAW Events

Durham Public Schools Hub Farm Spring Soils Day

May 3rd, 10am-1pm

Stop by NCCC’s table and talk to our Board President Muriel Williman. Muriel is also the City of Durham’s Senior Assistant Solid Waste Manager, and will be sharing information about the City of Durham’s new composting pilot program!

This is the inaugural Spring Soils Festival in Durham, a celebration of Soil Health and Biodiversity. The festival will include live music by the Northern High School Jazz Band, a summer plant giveaway, home-made confections by Northern High School Culinary Arts, fishing on the pond (BYO equipment), and hands-on activities for all ages! Admission is free.

Learn More About ICAW

May 6th, 12-1pm (ET): Lunch and Learn Webinar-

Adding Food Waste to a Composting Facility

Are you looking to expand your composting operation to include food waste, but not sure where to begin? Join us for this informative and practical webinar that provides an introduction into the benefits, challenges, and logistics of incorporating food waste into your composting facility. This presentation will be led by Betsy LaForce and Orion Black-Brown from Green Mountain Technologies, and includes expert NC panelists Matt Ball from NCSU’s Composting Facility, Riley Alber from Wilmington Compost Company, and Patrick Downey from McGill Compost for the Q&A afterward.

In this session we’ll cover:

§ The implications of adding food waste to a facility

§ Key considerations for design, permitting, and feedstock management

§ Common contaminants and how to reduce them

§ Best practices and technology options for odor control and managing product quality

§ Real-world examples of facilities that have successfully made the transition

Whether you’re managing a yard-waste facility, operating a farm, or working in municipal waste, this webinar will give you the tools and insights to confidently accept and process food-waste. This is a condensed version of the all day food waste composting workshop that Green Mountain Technologies provides during the USCC annual conference.

Town of Cary ICAW Schedule:

Join the Town of Cary to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week with one of the opportunities below!

Talk to a composting expert at Herbfest | May 4
Home Composting for Beginners | May 7
Compost Education Center Open House | May 10
Purchase a backyard compost bin through our online sale| ends May 10
Explore free composting services through Cary’s Food Waste Drop-off Program

Learn More

Back to Earth: A Compost Celebration in Wilmington

May 10th from 11am-3pm at Pomegranate Books

Celebrate ICAW in Wilmington, NC at Pomegranate books on May 10th! Enjoy a children’s story hour and activity from 11-12pm, a compost and vermicompost presentation with the North Carolina Composting Council and our Coastal Composting Chapter, and meet Amber Grossman, the author of a recently published book, “Black Girls Gardening.” New Hanover County Recycling and Solid Waste and New Hanover County Soil and Water will also be at the event with information to share and games to play!