International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW)
May 4 – 10, 2025
Theme for ICAW 2025: Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost!
International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. It is celebrated nationwide and in other countries each year during the first full week of May. The goal of ICAW is to work together to raise public awareness on why we all should be composting our organics recycling and using compost. The program includes poster and video contests in the fall and activities and events held during the week in May. Throughout the week of ICAW, community, school, government and business events are held to encourage and celebrate composting - all types of composting – from backyard to large-scale.
Find resources to promote ICAW and the benefits of using compost on the Composting Council Research and Education's ICAW web page.
Find resources to promote ICAW and the benefits of using compost on the Composting Council Research and Education's ICAW web page.
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MNCC Celebrates International Compost Awareness Week with a Plate to Garden Event!
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As part of ICAW the Minnesota Composting Council will be celebrating all week with different compost-related activities, including our own Plate to Garden event on May 3rd at the Urban Growler to jumpstart the week of activities.
Be sure to join us to volunteer or grab a bag of compost for use in your garden, on your lawn, or for spring planting. We’ll have prizes to give away, education about compost programs in Minnesota, and free bags of compost! The MNCC looks forward to celebrating with you on May 4-10!
Be sure to join us to volunteer or grab a bag of compost for use in your garden, on your lawn, or for spring planting. We’ll have prizes to give away, education about compost programs in Minnesota, and free bags of compost! The MNCC looks forward to celebrating with you on May 4-10!
2024 Minnesota Composting Council and Urban Growler
Plate to Garden Event:
Plate to Garden Event:
Who: Minnesota Composting Council and Urban Growler
Where: Urban Growler, St. Paul | 2325 Endicott St., St. Paul, MN 55114
When: Saturday, May 3, 12-5pm
What: The MNCC wants to celebrate ICAW with you! Head down to the Urban Growler on May 3 to grab a free bag of compost and enter into a drawing to earn prizes like kitchen scrap collection pails, compost bins, or an ICAW poster. While at it, make a reservation to drink or dine with the Urban Growler on their website.
Where: Urban Growler, St. Paul | 2325 Endicott St., St. Paul, MN 55114
When: Saturday, May 3, 12-5pm
What: The MNCC wants to celebrate ICAW with you! Head down to the Urban Growler on May 3 to grab a free bag of compost and enter into a drawing to earn prizes like kitchen scrap collection pails, compost bins, or an ICAW poster. While at it, make a reservation to drink or dine with the Urban Growler on their website.
Meet the ICAW 2025 Poster Contest Winner
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Abbie Sawyer is this year’s winner of the ICAW 2025 Poster Contest.
Out of hundreds and hundreds of entries from around the world, (entries were received from 73 different countries), her entry was chosen. As Abbie explained, her poster design was carved out of linoleum, hand-printed, and digitized to add color and text. The top of the poster shows off the skyline of Athens, Georgia, with the green roof of City Hall visible in the top left corner. When asked what ICAW and this year’s theme mean to her, here is what she said, “Communities rely on organic recycling on all scales. Whether you compost garden scraps in a three-bin system or generate tons of compost in an industrial facility, you make a difference! It's time for us to embrace decay and rot on.” The ICAW Committee would like to thank everyone who entered the contest and worked hard to support ICAW and the message in this year’s theme: Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost! |
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How can we celebrate International Compost Awareness Week?
Throughout the week of ICAW, community and business events are held to encourage and celebrate composting. All types of composting, from backyard to large-scale, are promoted. Events can include tours of compost facilities, school gardening programs, compost workshops, lectures by a well-known gardening expert, compost giveaway days, to name just a few. Click here to learn more about planning an event or to share information on your upcoming event. To learn more about how you can get involved with ICAW or plan an event in your community, click here to read the Celebrate ICAW Manual. If you are holding an event we would love to help promote it and to see your pictures! You can email them to: [email protected]. |
Like us on Facebook and join us in celebrating ICAW 2025 from May 4-10!
Compost Sites and Organics Programs around the state
Use the Compost Site locator tool to find a compost site near you. Purchase compost from the site to start your victory garden, top dress your lawn, or give your potted plants a little boost. You can visit our Compost Uses webpage to learn more. To learn more about Organics programs around the state. Once there, scroll down to see which Minnesota communities have organics recycling programs.
Composting Council's Research and Education Foundation
Every year the MNCC participates in the Composting Council's Research and Education Foundation's International Compost Awareness Week. The program hosts a poster contest and promotes holding compost events that take place in the first full week of May.
There are many ways to help reduce our carbon footprint and reduce climate change — adding compost to the soil is one tool in reducing climate change and recognizes the connection between soil health and climate. By composting, carbon captured by plants from the atmosphere is returned to the soil. In addition, the compost, when returned to the soil, provides resistance to drought and disease, adds nutrients, improves its workability and reduces the release of nitrous oxide.
Throughout the week of ICAW, community and business events are held to encourage and celebrate composting. All types of composting – from backyard to large-scale are promoted. Events include tours of compost facilities, school gardening programs, compost workshops, lectures by a well-known gardening expert, compost give-away days, to name just a few. Click here to learn more about planning an event or to share information on your upcoming event. To learn more about how you can get involved with ICAW or plan an event in your community, click here to read the Celebrate ICAW Manual.
Many companies strongly support ICAW by becoming an ICAW sponsor.
There are many ways to help reduce our carbon footprint and reduce climate change — adding compost to the soil is one tool in reducing climate change and recognizes the connection between soil health and climate. By composting, carbon captured by plants from the atmosphere is returned to the soil. In addition, the compost, when returned to the soil, provides resistance to drought and disease, adds nutrients, improves its workability and reduces the release of nitrous oxide.
Throughout the week of ICAW, community and business events are held to encourage and celebrate composting. All types of composting – from backyard to large-scale are promoted. Events include tours of compost facilities, school gardening programs, compost workshops, lectures by a well-known gardening expert, compost give-away days, to name just a few. Click here to learn more about planning an event or to share information on your upcoming event. To learn more about how you can get involved with ICAW or plan an event in your community, click here to read the Celebrate ICAW Manual.
Many companies strongly support ICAW by becoming an ICAW sponsor.
2022 ICAW Event with St. Paul Saint's
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