By Olivia Xu • Student Action Committee Chair, student.action@newjersey.sierraclub.org
The Student Action Committee of the NJ Chapter of the Sierra Club is turning food waste into policy change. During the past several months, we’ve brought our composting campaign to town halls across New Jersey.
Earlier this spring, we presented a comprehensive composting proposal to the Monroe Township Environmental Commission, calling for a municipal-scale effort to help reduce organic waste, cut emissions, and promote community sustainability, through composting. The proposal includes research-backed recommendations for residential compost collection or drop-off, educational outreach, and partnerships with schools, community gardens, and private composting facilities.
But our effort hasn’t stopped there. After initial discussions with Monroe Township officials, including a formal meeting to discuss the options and refine the proposal, we broadened our reach. With Monroe’s review still pending, we began sharing the proposal with other municipalities across the region, including Summit, South Brunswick, Morris, and East Windsor.
Composting is no longer something that can wait. In the United States, food waste constitutes the largest portion of municipal solid waste directed to landfills, making up 21.6% of the overall total, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. This amounts to 66 million tons of food waste generated by residential, retail, and food service sectors each year, and much of that is landfilled, threatening the quality of water bodies and soil. Local schools and government can be effective starting points for change.
Our proposal is for composting not only as a method to address climate issues but also as a chance for cost savings and building community connections. Organic waste in the form of food scraps, yard trimmings, and paper constitutes roughly 30% of what Americans dispose of in landfills, but it can be transformed into healthy, nutrient-packed soil that will benefit community gardens, farms, and education.
Local composting initiatives nationwide are increasingly effective. Cities such as Montclair, Hoboken, and Princeton have tested or established drop-off and curbside composting programs. These initiatives help to lower methane emissions, decrease landfill excess, and inform community members about eco-friendly practices.
Yet, every town is different. The composting proposal we wrote up for Monroe has now become a flexible blueprint. The Student Action Committee is open to any discussions with townships to figure out what works best for them—whether it’s a pilot program, school-based collection, or a regional facility.
Already, the response has been encouraging. Environmental Commission members and leaders in several towns have acknowledged receipt of the proposal and expressed interest in further conversation. We hope that when one community adopts the program, others will follow.
It’s all about starting momentum. This isn’t just a school project—once the idea is out there and pushed for by enough people, it’s a movement. We want composting to become a comfortable idea in people’s minds by showcasing the benefits of making it a normal part of everyday life, not an afterthought.
As municipal leaders weigh their next steps, the Student Action Committee will continue to advocate for community composting. By building community support, and by refining our proposal based on feedback, we hope to have real impact.
Composting may begin in the kitchen, but we are proving perhaps it can lead to meaningful and impactful legislation.