International Compost Awareness Week
August 2026
ALL PATHS LEAD TO COMPOST !
Global Theme for International Compost Awareness Week 2027 Announced
The members of the International Compost Alliance (ICA) are pleased to announce ‘ALL PATHS LEAD TO COMPOST’ as the global theme for International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) 2027, taking place May 2 – 8, 2027.
Compost advocates, communities, businesses and organizations around the world are invited to mark their calendars, plan and join this annual celebration of compost and organics recycling, highlighting how compost helps build healthier soil, stronger communities and a more sustainable future.
The 2027 theme aligns with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, recognizing the essential role that innovation and investment play in creating a thriving circular bioeconomy at both the local and global levels.
As countries work to reduce waste, conserve natural resources and tackle climate change, composting and anaerobic digestion are proven technologies that transform
organic waste into valuable products to improve soil health, recycle nutrients and reduce reliance on fossil fuel-intensive fertilizers. Every individual can contribute to this effort. Involvement combined with the power of continued innovation, infrastructure and investment will help unlock even greater environmental, economic and social benefits.
The work of our industry of compost advocates and practitioners in returning organic matter to the soil through compost supports nearly every sustainability target including:
Reducing greenhouse gas emissions by keeping organics out of landfills and incinerations
Building healthier, carbon-rich soils that improve food production and climate resilience
Recycling valuable nutrients and reducing dependence on fossil-based mineral fertilizers
Supporting biodiversity and ecosystem restoration
Improving soil’s ability to retain water and be resistant to droughts
Empowering communities to take practical, low-cost climate action.
Whether at home, work, or in our communities, recycling organic resources into compost is one of the simplest and most effective actions we can all take for the environment. This year’s theme reminds us that there are many different routes to a more sustainable future, but they all lead to compost. We encourage compost advocates across the world to plan to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week 2027, and showcase how composting is helping protect our climate, enrich our soils and strengthen our communities.
Join the Celebration!
Every year, International Compost Awareness week inspires thousands of activities around the world including composting workshops, open houses, demonstrations, school events, community garden projects and many other types of events. Individuals can also get involved by starting their own composting system at home, at work or in their community, getting to know the important workings at a local composting facility and by adding compost to their soil to improve their garden’s productivity and climate-resiliency.
Here are just some suggestions as to how to celebrate this important week:
Host facility open houses — tours of compost sites, transfer stations or community gardens.
Host a “how to compost” event or facility tour
Promote your compost, showcasing it in local community gardens, farmers’ markets or other gatherings
Organize a “Feed the Soil” challenge – encourage households, businesses and other locations to track their organic residuals for one week to show how they add up and can make a meaningful environmental difference in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating healthier soil
Request your municipality to officially recognize May 2 – 8, 2027 as International Compost Awareness Week.
Share reminders of proper sorting with “What Goes Where” guides and tips on how to use quality compost for healthy soil
Celebrate your Compost! story, showcasing your and your team’s work and community contributions
Feature composting in farmers’ markets — booths, soil displays, kids’ activities.
Thank You to Compost Champions Everywhere!
Creating lasting change takes persistence, collaboration and commitment. The International Compost Alliance (ICA) would like to recognize and thank the thousands of compost advocates around the world for your steady, determined efforts to shift habits, inspire communities and champion the regenerative practices our planet urgently needs. Your dedication — whether through community programs, education, research or simply leading by example — is helping make positive change happen - for our climate, our communities and our future. THANK YOU, both today, tomorrow and always.
Together, all paths lead to compost.
Notes to Editors
The International Compost Alliance is a global network of compost organizations working to advance compost production, use and awareness worldwide. Through collaboration, education and advocacy, ICA promotes composting as a practical solution for healthier soils, resource recovery and environmental sustainability. Members include:
The Australian Organics Recycling Association (AORA)
Compost Council of Canada (CCC)
European Compost Network (ECN)
International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)
Italian Composting and Biogas Association (CIC)
CRÉ - Composting and Anaerobic Digestion Association of Ireland
The Organics Recycling Association of South Africa (ORASA)
WasteMINZ (Waste Management Institute of New Zealand)
The Renewable Energy Association (REA)
May 3 – 9, 2026
Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us
International Compost Alliance Launches Global Call to Action for Compost Awareness Week 2026
The International Compost Alliance (ICA) today launched a global call to action for International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) 2026, urging governments, industry, educators and households to recognize and prioritise compost as a strategic resource for soil health, food production and climate resilience.
Running May 3–9, this year’s theme is “Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us,” which highlights compost’s role in returning valuable organic matter and essential nutrients to soils and, in turn, people, strengthening the natural systems that underpin food production.
The campaign comes at a time of growing pressure on agricultural and land management systems, including rising concern over the cost and availability of mineral fertilisers. Against that backdrop, the ICA said compost should be viewed as more than a valuable waste diversion solution, but, as an increasingly fundamental source of nutrients and carbon for soils.
Compost is often discussed in terms of diverting waste, but a more important value is in what it gives back, agree members of the International Compost Alliance. Compost contains valuable nutrients, supports soil biology, improves soil structure and water retention, and helps reduce reliance on the increasingly volatile economics of external inputs such as mineral fertilisers.
As input costs rise and supply chains remain vulnerable to geopolitical and economic disruption, compost is drawing greater attention as a practical and local tool to help build soil fertility, nutrient resilience and long-term productivity.
Compost is not a complete replacement for all fertiliser needs in every system, but it is a proven part of the natural solution to feed our soils, accoding to IcA, and helps return nutrients already present in our food and green waste back to the land, where they can be used productively rather than lost forever in landfills or incineration.
ICA members say that message is central to this year’s celebration: at its core, composting is about recovering value from organic materials and putting it back to work in soils, landscapes and food systems.
Compost’s contribution extends well beyond nutrient supply. By improving soil structure, moisture retention and biological activity, compost can help soils perform better under pressure from drought, erosion, land degradation and other climate-related stresses.
Across multiple countries, ICA members and partners will mark the week with public education campaigns, workshops, school engagement, compost facility tours and community events all aimed at increasing understanding of compost’s environmental, agricultural and economic benefits.
The ICA also encourages policymakers, local authorities, farmers, businesses, educators and the public to use the week to expand composting programs, increase compost use and strengthen recognition of organics recycling as part of a more circular and secure future.
International Compost Awareness Week 2026 runs from May 3 to May 9. Further information for our member nations is available at our RESOURCES page. Click the button below to view them!
FACTS ABOUT COMPOST
Globally more than 85 million tonnes of biowaste are recycled every year, with composting naturally recycling over 1 million tonnes of plant macronutrients.
Compost’s nutrient replacement value refers to how much of the nutrients it contains, primarily nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), can substitute for synthetic fertilizers in supporting plant growth. The exact value depends on the feedstock (food scraps, garden clippings, etc.), composting process, maturity, and moisture content. Compost’s value is further punctuated with an array of micronutrients and organic matter.
Typically 1 tonne of fresh weight compost can supply:
Organic matter is a vital component of fertile soils. Compost is a valuable source of stable organic matter that can form part of a long-term strategy to maintain and enhance soil quality, and thereby help to maintain soils in good agricultural and environmental condition.
Compost alone may not fully meet short-term N needs in high-demand crops, but it can significantly reduce fertilizer inputs.
Phosphorus and potassium in compost are particularly valuable, especially in times of high fertilizer costs or supply disruptions.
Long-term benefits include improved soil structure, water retention, and microbial activity, which enhance overall nutrient efficiency.
Not only does compost support healthy, productive soils, it also works hard for the climate, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by more than 9 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents a year through storing carbon in soil and offsetting fertilizer use (an equivalent to driving an average petrol/gas-powered car for 36 billion kilometers (23 billion miles); almost 95 thousand times the distance between the earth and the moon!
Vision
Our vision is a world in which the recycling of organic waste is maximized in order to create quality compost and quality digestate to sustain healthy soils, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve food security and contribute towards the circular bioeconomy.
Mission
Our mission is to work collaboratively to maximise the recycling of organic wastes and advance the manufacturing of certified, high-quality compost to benefit the environment, society and our members.
The Alliance will strive to:
• Be a ‘think tank’ and platform for sharing knowledge and ideas between Alliance organization's
• Promote international evidence and information locally to members of Alliance organization's
• Communicate joint strategic messages that are common to Alliance organization's and their members; and
• Communicate the benefits of the organics recycling industry to global entities such as NGOs, United Nations organization's and relevant policy makers.
International Compost Alliance
International Environmental Benefits of Compost
Founding Organizations
