Composting Church

Make It Happen

Four Weeks Before

• Decide what level of composting you wish to engage:
  • Gathering food scraps from young adults at the parish for delivery to composting center or farm (easy)
  • Starting your own composting bin at your parish or possibly in someone’s backyard (more difficult)
  • Gathering food scraps from young adults and other parish members and parish ministries (i.e., day care, school, soup kitchen, food pantry, etc.) and either delivering them to a composting center or composting them yourself (most difficult)

There are pros and cons to each of these. Starting your own composting bin is more hands-on (both a pro and a con) and depending on where you live (city v. suburb v. rural area) one of these options might be easier than the other. Make the decision that is best for you. If you start “easy” you can always upgrade in the future!

• If you want to collect and deliver your food scraps — find a farm or farmers market or community composting program that will accept them. Check with them for their specific details and guidelines (pick-up times, restrictions, etc). If you’re not sure about the offerings in your area, try Google or even call your local town/city government offices. They should know of anything organized by the department of sanitation or other department. If there are any gardeners or farmers in your parish, you might ask them if they would like your food scraps.
• Select a day for your kickoff gathering. If you are delivering your food scraps you might want to invite someone from the composting center or farm to speak to your group about what food scraps they want and what they do with them. Gather the supplies you need for the gathering and create any flyers (see Ideas section) you wish to distribute.
• Make a plan for any other complimentary gatherings to go along with the “Composting Church” program (see Ideas section).
• Recruit volunteers to spearhead the program. One person can — if he/she wishes — play more than one role:

• Communications/Publicity Volunteer — This person will spearhead creating and making announcements about the composting program. This volunteer will also lead the social media campaign that includes photos and personal reflections on composting.
• Kickoff Volunteer — This person will plan and possibly lead the Composting Church Kickoff event. They will set up the room and arrange for a leader/facilitator if he/she doesn’t do that. The event should be a simple gathering and demonstration — as well as a time to socialize.
• Food Scrap Collection Volunteers (two-three) — These volunteers will collect the food scraps at a designated place and time each week. If you will be delivering the food scraps to another location you should plan this pick-up time based on when you need to drop off the food scraps. A popular drop-off location might be your parish or someone’s home or even a centrally located parking lot.
• Delivery Volunteers (one-two) — These volunteers will physically deliver the food scraps to a drop-off location or farm.
• Compost Volunteers (two-three) — These volunteers will take the lead on building and maintaining your composting bin/pile if you have one. If there is someone at your parish (young adult or older adult) who already composts, they might be interested in taking this on — or adding your food scraps to their compost pile.

Composting Church Kickoff Event

• Set up a table with snacks (e.g., fresh fruit) and water. Place any important handouts or other details on the table. Make sure you have a designated container to collect food scraps and label it for that purpose.
• Gather chairs in a circle and being with an opening prayer — maybe a variation of the “Prayer for Program Planner” above.
• Give a brief introduction to your “Composting Church” program:
  • Collection dates/times
  • Guidelines for what food scraps to collect (fruit and vegetable peelings, old bread, coffee grounds, tea bags, cleaned eggshells, NO MEAT, etc.). Here’s a link to a list of things you can and cannot compost. You can share a list like this via e-mail, but I’d suggest just making a simple list (like the one above) for your purposes here.
  • Explanation of where the compost will go.
  • Suggestions for storing food scraps between pick-ups (in a container or plastic bag in your freezer being #1!).
• If you have a speaker, invite him or her to give a short presentation on their organization/farm and the benefits of composting. If you don’t have a speaker, consider reading a scripture passage about creation (Job 38:1-18 or Psalm 104:14-23 or Psalm 148) and use a few of these discussion questions for group reflection:
  • What message do you hear in this scripture?
  • In what ways have you experienced God in creation or the work of caring for creation?
  • How is God calling us to care for creation?
  • What are some examples of that practice in your life now? What might you add?
• By way of example — point out the food scrap collection container and deposit your food scraps (fruit peels) in it.
• Invite people to ask questions.
• When your presentation has ended, invite everyone to continue to enjoy snacks and socializing.

Food Scrap Drop-Off

• Once you set your designated drop-off location/date/time, be sure to be on time. If you want to use a space at your parish, ask the priest or building manager the best location. Maybe in the kitchen or outside in a covered area (to protect you if it rains).
• Be prepared with plastic containers or garbage containers to collect the scraps. If people bring scraps frozen in a plastic bag, have them empty the bag into the container and put the plastic bags in a separate “trash” bag.

Composting

• If you are going to start composting on church grounds, be sure you have any permissions squared away with your priest, parish council, or trustees.
• Read these articles about starting your own compost pile:
  • “Composting 101” from Planet Natural
  • “Composting 101: How To Start a Composting Pile”
  • “Composting 101” from Real Simple magazine
• Prior to your first food scrap drop-off, build or set up your compost bin, get the necessary supplies to start your composting (twigs and straw for a first layer; green and brown leaves for a second; a shovel or other garden tool to mix the compost; rubber gloves and gardening gloves are a good idea, too).