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Registration is now open for local households ready to take Boxerwood’s annual Compost Challenge, a 10-week program in which participants receive a free backyard composter in exchange for adopting new stewardship habits.
Framed as a citizen-science project, the study poses the question: “How many pounds of food waste could Rockbridge County households keep out of the landfill if given the chance?”
Since its inception in 2021, the Backyard Compost Challenge has helped 255 local households adopt new earthcare practices, with lasting environmental and economic impacts. Hauling food waste to landfills increases costs for municipalities, and decomposing organic material in landfills releases methane – a harmful greenhouse gas. On the other hand, composting food scraps builds rich garden soil and sequesters carbon, noted project facilitator, Catherine Epstein. “Then there’s also the great feeling knowing you are working together with others in your community to do something good for us all,” she added.
For these reasons, municipalities across the nation encourage citizen composting, but not everyone has the tools or know-how to get started. The Backyard Compost Challenge tackles those obstacles by providing grant-funded composting kits and supportive, ongoing coaching from Boxerwood and Rockbridge Area Master Gardeners (RAMGA). The kit includes one “Earth Machine” – an 80-gallon sturdy black plastic composter – one household food waste collection pail, and one hand scale. Participants need no prior knowledge of composting, and the Earth Machines were selected for their durability and simplicity of use.
As in previous years, newly recruited households will weigh and divert food scraps to their composters each week and report their results to Boxerwood, which will post aggregate results on its website.
Now in its fifth year, the project enjoys a remarkable track record of success. Last year, for example, 98% of participating households successfully completed the 10-week project and, based on a follow-up survey of over half the cohort, more than 96% have continued composting since the challenge ended. The ongoing success prompted renewed funding from the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality with a $10,000 competitive award jointly secured by both city and county jurisdictions.
Since its inception, the project has prioritized engaging local youth, and children participating in the Challenge often become the project leader in their households.
According to Epstein, this is a natural fit, given that 900 students are now daily composting cafeteria food waste through Boxerwood’s “Waste Busters” program, provided at no-cost to five Buena Vista and Rockbridge County elementary schools.
“Composting is becoming second nature to many children in our community,” said Epstein. “If their families take part in the challenge, many of those students will be teaching their household elders how it’s done.”
This year’s challenge will run from March 9 to May 18. Participation is open to all residents of Buena Vista, Lexington, and Rockbridge County, although the free compost kits are only available to households not currently composting. Priority goes to households with children, with others selected by lottery. There is no cost to participate, and at the end of the study, households who plan to continue to divert their food waste may keep their composting kits, a $150 retail value. Interested households may register online at the Boxerwood website: boxerwood.org/bcc The deadline for signing up is Monday, Feb. 24.
