Earlier this year, over 100 households participated in our 10-week Backyard Compost Challenge and collectively diverted a whopping 5,017 pounds of waste from the landfill. At the 3-month mark, we surveyed all our slop superstars to see how their composting habits have continued since the Challenge.
With half of those households responding so far, 98% (!) reported they are continuing to compost. Considering that many were entirely new to composting at the start of the Challenge, this is an exciting outcome for our community, our gardens, and our Earth.
When asked what motivated them to continue, households cited a range of reasons. Some stated that the Challenge had created a strong routine – as one composter put it, “I’m in the composting habit now.” Several others appreciated having less trash to take out, and others specifically mentioned a more pleasant kitchen: “Keeps the trash can from having smelly food in it for days!”
Many others described the benefit of composting for their gardens: “We are planning a larger garden for next year and want to have richer soil.” Others are noticing the continued engagement of their children – “Our daughter is still enjoying it” – along with their own enjoyment in the simple act of composting, which they know is benefitting their community and their environment. “It feels like I am doing something good,” one composter declared, “I get an unexplainable joy in stirring the compost!”
The Backyard Compost Challenge demonstrates the transformation power of working together – in families and in communities – to form meaningful new habits, and make a difference for the Earth. Keep up the good work, Earth Stewards!