The Great Backyard
Compost Challenge

PROJECT OVERVIEW

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What

The Great Backyard Compost Challenge is a local citizen science project. As citizen scientists, our goal is to investigate the collective impact households can make by keeping food waste out of the Rockbridge landfill. This 10-week project begins March 9 and ends on May 18, 2024.

Who

80+ local households will track and weekly report the amount of the food waste they divert to their backyard composters. The households come from Buena Vista, Lexington, and Rockbridge County. This project is funded by a competitive grant from Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (VA DEQ) in partnership with local jurisdictions.

Why

Data
Reducing waste is important. This study helps us determine how much food waste local households could keep out of the landfill if given the tools to do so. Your tools are your composting kit and simple project support. This baseline data helps municipalities plan future waste reduction actions.

Stewardship
Keeping food waste out of landfills not only creates great soil for gardening. It is also a climate-friendly action. Food waste decomposing in underground landfills produces methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Backyard composting prevents methane emissions and thus protects the atmosphere. In fact, every pound of food waste diverted from the landfill prevents the equivalent release of 1.2 pounds of carbon dioxide: a win for the planet and for your garden soil.

Community
Science is social, and change happens when we work together. In the process of collecting data and keeping food waste out of the landfill, we aim to foster a community of folks passionate about caring for the Earth and making a positive difference in the corner of the world we call home. Thank you for being part of it all!

How

Participants, please follow this project protocol:

  1. Divert all eligible* food scraps from all household use into your collection pail.
    • This includes scraps from food preparation, leftovers you don’t plan to eat, and spoiled food, plus coffee grounds: whatever you’ve got! *Check your Earth Machine manual for details.
  2. Weigh your pail with the hand scale prior to taking the scraps to your composter.
    • Record the weight (by decimal pounds) on your data sheet. Remember to subtract the weight of your pail from your calculations. Keep your sheet up-to-date for the entire project period.
  3. Post your week’s total diversion in pounds every Saturday.
    • Go to the SUBMISSION page. Log-in with your email then upload your week’s total.
    • Note: Each 7-day reporting period runs Saturday through Friday. Example, Week One: Saturday, March 11 - Friday, March 17. Report the previous week’s total on Saturday, March 18, 2023.
  4. Stay Connected.
    • Project updates: check out our weekly blog and project-related pages.

Questions about the project overall? Contact project facilitator, Catherine Epstein, catherine@boxerwood.org

Questions about your Earth Machine? Consult your manual and youtube tutorials.

Questions about composting? Contact Boxerwood volunteer and Rockbridge Area Master Gardener Phyllis Fevrier at 540-460-9298 and leave a message. She will return your call.