Good News Alert: Demand for Compost Is Up!

As the impacts of COVID-19 continue to be felt around the country, there have been a few glimmers of sustainability hope in these challenging times. We have seen wildlife returning to cities, pollution decreasing in metro areas from the decline in car commuting, among other sustainability trends. One of the interesting positives that we have been following closely is the increase in demand for finished compost.

As you know from our annual Sustainability Report, an important aspect of building and supporting composting infrastructure is having robust end markets for finished compost. In many parts of the country, the retail market for compost has been fairly strong over the past few months. This end market is typically driven by home gardeners hoping to set their vegetables and flowers up for success. With COVID-19 forcing many to stay home with more time on their hands for home projects, victory gardens have sprung up in backyards across the country. This increased focus on growing your own food has led to a surge in demand for using compost at home.

One example of the increased demand for compost is from here in the Denver Metro Area. Our partner, A-1 Organics, one of the largest compost manufacturers in the country, has seen a record breaking spring. Clinton Sander, Marketing Manager at A-1 explains:

“My impression is a lot of people had an urgency to start a garden, or saw their neighbor doing it and decided to join in on a neighborhood garden to share and grow produce together. The beautiful result is all of these amazing gardens will translate into nutrient dense vegetables and additional environments for our pollinators. This translates into more colorful landscapes and restored Colorado soils. I am very excited for fall and next spring, as many people will have experienced the amazing benefits of compost and will want to continue their efforts. The industry as a whole all saw this incredible increase and what a beautiful thing it is! Restore your soil Colorado!”

In order to usher in a new circular economy with commercial composting access for all communities across the country, we need the entire system to work, and that means strong end markets for finished compost. As we beat this pandemic and get back to a level of normalcy , let’s keep in mind the sustainability benefits that we have witnessed these last few months, and keep up those victory gardens with the use of compost!

Green is all we do.