For 33 years, the Compost Research & Education Foundation has advanced compost science, education, and community awareness. To celebrate, we’re sharing 33 reasons why compost is a solution for healthier soil, stronger communities, and a more sustainable planet. By joining our 33 Club, you’ll help fund the next 33 years of impact.
Compost restores life to the soil by adding organic matter, nutrients, and beneficial microorganisms. Healthy soil built with compost supports stronger plants, prevents erosion, and increases biodiversity both above and below ground. By enriching the earth, compost creates a foundation for resilient farms, gardens, and ecosystems.
Compost improves the soil’s ability to hold water during droughts and absorb excess rain during storms. This natural sponge effect reduces runoff, protects waterways from nutrient pollution, and lessens the need for irrigation. With compost, communities can conserve water resources while protecting rivers, lakes, and groundwater.
By diverting food scraps and yard waste from landfills, composting prevents the release of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Returning carbon to the soil also creates a natural “carbon bank,” helping to fight climate change. Composting cleans the air we breathe by reducing emissions and building a healthier atmosphere for future generations.
At CREF, we believe compost is one of the simplest, most powerful tools we have to restore our soils, fight climate change, and build healthy communities. To celebrate 33 years of advancing compost education and research, here are 33 reasons why compost is great.
1. Save money – Cut down on costs for water, fertilizer, and trash service.
2. Make plants thrive – Soil becomes a living ecosystem.
3. Turn scraps into treasure – Kitchen waste becomes “black gold” for your soil.
4. Reduce household waste – Fewer trash bags, less odor, and less landfill use.
5. Save fuel – Replacing fossil-fuel-derived agricultural inputs and reducing the transportation of heavy waste.
6. Boost soil fertility – Add nutrients your soil can reuse!
7. Provide education – Learn from the rewarding process of building your own compost pile.
8. Encourage thriving communities – Provide a cleaner opportunity to create a circular community.
9. Save energy – Avoid costs of producing/packaging synthetic fertilizers.
10. Build soil – Adds organic material to act as a soil conditioner.
11. Conserve water – Help retain water to support plant.
12. Feed microorganisms – Bacteria, fungi and protozoa thrive in compost, powering more life in the soil.
13. Make crops taste better – Nutrient-rich, living soil promotes balanced plant growth.
14. Prevent erosion – Improves soil structure and increases water absorption.
15. Protect water quality – Help keep nitrogen-rich materials form leaching into waterways.
16. Aerate soil – Roots get the air and space they need to grow.
17. Recycle – Waste becomes a valuable resource.
18. Reduce toxins – Some contaminants are bound or neutralized in the composting process.
19. Fuel fungi – Beneficial fungi flourish, improving plant resilience.
20. Improve clay soils – Lighten soils to encourage water and nutrient retention.
21. Improve sandy soils – Add organic material to help plants grow.
22. Build garden credibility – Earn “soil wisdom” through years of composting.
23. Increase nutrients in soil – Create healthier soil to grow nutrient-dense produce.
24. Decrease soil compaction – Compost makes friable and fertile with organic material.
25. Suppress disease – Living soil community helps prevent plant pathogens.
26. Replace fertilizer – Less reliance on synthetic, energy-intensive products.
27. Build community – From school gardens to drop-offs, composting brings people together.
28. Spark curiosity – Shift the mundane concept of waste into a science experiment.
29. Connect with nature by involving you in the cycle of life.
30. Teach you about your waste stream.
31. Flight climate change – reduce the production of methane and store carbon in the soil.
32. Keep it local by closing the loop on organic waste in your community.
33. Prevent waste – Divert organic material from landfills and recycling them into healthy soil.
When Maria, a community gardener in Detroit, first started growing food in her neighborhood, the soil was heavy with clay, water ran off after every rain, and the vegetables struggled to take root. But after introducing compost, everything began to change.
The compost lightened the clay, holding water when the garden was dry and draining it when storms came. It fed worms and fungi that made the soil come alive. Soon, healthier soil meant healthier plants: brighter tomatoes, crunchier cucumbers, and more flavorful greens. The harvest was not only bigger, but more nutritious, feeding families who depended on the garden.
Maria also noticed something bigger happening. The garden was no longer just a plot of land; it became a place where her neighbors gathered. They learned how composting could cut down on trash, reduce methane in the landfill, save money on fertilizers, and keep fertility cycling right in their own community. Children came to see how food scraps turned into soil, and families realized that their kitchen waste was not waste at all. It was the foundation of new life.
That single compost pile touched every one of the 33 reasons we celebrate today. It built soil, saved water, supported biodiversity, and even helped fight climate change by storing carbon back in the earth. Most importantly, it built hope.
At CREF, stories like Maria’s inspire our work every day. For 33 years, we have championed compost education and research to make these benefits possible in gardens, farms, and communities across the country. With your support, we can ensure the next 33 years of compost-powered change, creating healthier soils, stronger communities, and a more sustainable future for us all.
