Research & reports

Scott Etkin · West Side Rag · United States

NYC's Department of Sanitation resumed mandatory composting enforcement in January 2026 after a pause. The Upper West Side shows a 13.5% capture rate as of spring 2025, above the citywide rate of about 10%, with monthly collected tonnage rising from 129 tons (Oct. 2024) to over 318 tons (Dec. 2025); 414 summonses had been issued through Feb. 10, 2026.

Santropol Roulant · Santropol Roulant · Canada

Santropol Roulant's rooftop farm in Montreal's Plateau neighbourhood combines intensive garden beds with container gardening and keeps beehives. Produce grown there feeds the organization's meals-on-wheels kitchen, and kitchen scraps are composted in the basement and returned to the rooftop farm, forming a closed food-waste loop.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · United States

This EPA page explains composting: food waste is responsible for 58% of landfill methane emissions and makes up 24.1% of municipal solid waste. Of the 66.2 million tons of food waste generated in the US in 2019, only 5% was composted. Compost adds organic matter and boosts soil microbial diversity, reduces reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and — because it is typically processed near where it is generated — supports local economies.

· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · North America (Sacramento, California, USA)

Field research conducted at two urban farms in Sacramento, California, USA. Investigates effects of locally produced compost and biochar amendments on soil health and plant nutrient uptake. Demonstrates feasibility of combining sustainable resource cycling with crop productivity in community-based urban agriculture systems.

Campbell C., Gusto C., Kelsey K.D., Haase H., Cohen N., Robertson K., Kiker G., Boz Z. · Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development, 14(2):9-26 · United States

A study in which 107 participants in a municipal community compost program in Gainesville, Florida, used a citizen-science approach to measure and record their household food waste for two weeks. Participants generated more than double the EPA's estimate (about 14 lb/week), yet 85.8% reported increased food-waste awareness and 71.5% reported reducing their waste, showing that community composting can nudge household food-loss reduction.

Leigh Whittinghill, Megan Goins, Shawn Lucas · HortScience · United States

This study examined how two urban agriculture production systems (raised beds and container plots) and four nutrient-management treatments (conventional fertilizer, organic fertilizer, peat-and-compost plus organic fertilizer, and peat-and-compost only) affected yields of relay-cropped leafy greens across the 2018–2019 seasons. Significant differences between systems and treatments were few and inconsistent, but results suggest small plastic-pool containers are suitable for urban greens production and tentatively support organic fertilizers and compost as a nutrient source.

Leonardo Ferreira da Silva, Maria Laura Fogaça Zei, Juliana Alcantara Fernandes, João Moreirão, Fernando Camilher Almeida · Dialnet (Universidad de la Rioja) · Brazil

This article presents the Vila dos Heróis reurbanization project in Brazil as an integrated urban intervention model for informal settlements, based on a qualitative case study. The project includes 84 housing units with sustainable infrastructure such as a floodable park, photovoltaic energy, water reuse, composting, and a community garden. The proposal demonstrates the viability of reurbanization models that integrate qualified technical planning, community leadership, and socio-environmental sustainability.

Sofía Aguado, Helena Cotler, Marta Astier, Alejandro Padilla‐Rivera · Circular Economy and Sustainability · Latin America

This literature review examined methodologies applicable to municipal composting systems linked to urban agricultural production, with a specific focus on the Latin American context. It revealed a lack of structured methodologies to assess the circularity of municipal organic waste management systems and their connection with urban agriculture, particularly in heterogeneous contexts like Latin American cities, despite numerous existing evaluation methods. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is commonly used but often prioritizes environmental impacts, neglecting social, economic, and circularity dimensions.

· Corporate Philanthropy Report · United States (Delaware and Maryland)

Delmarva Power and the Delaware Nature Society awarded $40,000 in grants in 2024 through their Sustainable Community Grants program in Delaware and Maryland. These grants support projects in reforestation, sustainable transportation, affordable housing, and composting. Over the past four years, the program has provided more than $235,000 in total funding.

US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · United States

An EPA summary of its 2024 survey of anaerobic digestion facilities processing food waste in the U.S., covering 313 identified facilities with 65 operating facilities responding (24% response rate). Excluding beverage-industry waste, processed tonnage rose from about 1.36 million tons in 2022 to about 1.43 million tons in 2023.

Jacob Wallace · Waste Dive · United States

NYC's Department of Sanitation began enforcing mandatory curbside organics separation on April 1, 2025, issuing nearly 2,000 summonses in the first week, but Mayor Adams paused broad enforcement through 2025 on April 18, limiting fines to persistent violators. The city had distributed about 190,000 free bins and sold 63,000 more, and organics diversion had risen 65% from FY2022 to FY2024.

US Environmental Protection Agency · U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) · United States

U.S. municipal solid waste (MSW) generation reached 292.4 million tons in 2018. The landfilling rate fell from 94 percent in 1960 to 50 percent in 2018, while the combined recycling and composting rate rose from just over 6 percent in 1960 to 32.1 percent in 2018, including 25 million tons composted and 69 million tons recycled.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency · US EPA Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) · United States

According to US EPA's LMOP page, landfill gas is roughly 50% methane and 50% CO2, and methane is at least 28 times more effective than CO2 at trapping heat over 100 years. Municipal solid waste landfills are the third-largest source of human-related methane emissions in the US, accounting for about 14.4%. There are 542 operational LFG energy projects nationwide, about 63% generating electricity and about 20% producing renewable natural gas.

Amato-Lourenço L.F., Franca G.C., Seckler M.M., Mauad T. · Environmental Challenges, 14:100864 · Brazil

An analysis of a resident-led, decentralized community composting initiative begun in 2018 in São Paulo, using thermophilic decomposition (the UFSC method) in public squares. It presents a civil-society-driven waste-management model with positive environmental and social outcomes.

Maeve Malone, Kabindra M. Shakya · Sustainability · United States

This paper reviews the state of heavy metal contamination (such as lead, arsenic, and cadmium) in community garden soils across the United States, noting that gardeners are exposed through pathways such as inhalation and ingestion. It states that contamination hot spots are higher in city areas with greater minority populations and lower incomes. The review outlines mitigation approaches including applying biochar and compost, using raised beds, and maintaining a natural pH.

Carolyn A. Zeiner, Maria N. Kisch, Ethan D. Lynch, Paliza Shrestha, Gaston E. Small · Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems · United States (Minnesota)

This study characterized soil microbial activity profiles—microbial abundance, soil respiration, extracellular enzyme activity, and crop yield—in an urban agriculture system in Minnesota, USA, using recycled organic compost (manure or municipal) at high or low rates. A high application rate of manure compost supported 6–10× higher basal respiration, and microbial biochemical function predicted 50% of the variability in bell pepper yield while community size alone was a poor predictor, indicating that "more is better" does not necessarily hold for soil microbial health.

· Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems · South America

Study examining the use of urban food waste compost in urban agriculture in Rosario, Argentina. Analyzes waste-to-resource conversion and organic cycling potential.

Yang et al. · GeoHealth · United States (Massachusetts)

Decadal study of Boston's municipal composting program. Lead concentrations consistently exceeded EPA soil benchmarks. Program halted in 2012. Highlights importance of compost safety for urban agriculture.

Boston University School of Public Health · Boston University School of Public Health · United States

Examines historical inequities in urban organic waste and composting access. Highlights disparities in low-income and communities of color. Advocates for equitable policy design and implementation.

Pierric Calenge, Maie Gérardot · Métropolitiques · United States (Cleveland)

The work by Max Rousseau and Vincent Béal illuminates the ambiguities of a policy that organizes urban decline and racial segregation in Cleveland. This policy promotes urban degrowth and racial segregation, balancing algorithmic management and urban greening. The study focuses on the Rust Belt region, which experiences de-urbanization marked by the subprime crisis, racism, and segregation.

Gianluca Di Fiore, Kathrin Specht, Cesare Zanasi, Óscar José Rover · Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · Brazil (Florianópolis)

A study in Florianópolis, Brazil, surveyed 206 individuals (102 urban agriculture practitioners, 104 non-practitioners) to analyze the influence of urban agriculture on household organic waste management behaviors. The findings indicate that urban agriculture practitioners are more likely to separate and self-treat organic waste and use compost for gardening, regardless of housing conditions. Housing conditions, however, influenced the use of public facilities for organic waste management.

Marycruz Abato Zárate, Noel Reyes Pérez, Miguel Ángel Escalona Aguilar, Doris Guadalupe Castillo Rocha, Reyna Ruth Hernández Pérez · Revista Científica Estelí · Mexico

This qualitative study described a family's experience with urban agriculture and solid waste management in Emiliano Zapata, Veracruz, Mexico, through an open interview with a four-member family. The experience, spanning from 2001, included solid waste separation, composting, vermicomposting, rainwater harvesting (24 m3/year), and cultivating over 40 species of medicinal plants. The study found that urban gardens offer multidimensional benefits, including biodiversity protection, biocultural memory preservation, and spaces for learning and social participation.

Wendy J. Heiger-Bernays, Alicia Fraser, Valerie Burns, Kerry Diskin, Diedre Pierotti, Kian Merchant-Borna, Michael D. McClean, Daniel J. Brabander, H. Patricia Hynes · Scholarworks (University of Massachusetts Amherst) · United States (Boston)

This study identified the nature and extent of soil contamination by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from railroad ties and arsenic from chromated copper arsenate (CCA) pressure-treated lumber in a representative community garden in Boston. Elevated levels of PAHs and arsenic were present in the gardens studied, with these timbers serving as a continuous source of contaminants. This is the first study to investigate contaminants other than lead and evaluate the effect of adding city compost on select soil contaminants in urban garden soil.

Bárbara Rios Lacerda, Rafael Sanginez Zebalos Lourenço, Aleffy Helberty Alves da Silva, Ana Cláudia Barroso · Revista Ibero-Americana de Humanidades, Ciências e Educação · Brazil (Porto Velho)

This experience report details the implementation of a sustainable vertical community garden and a composting system at a municipal school in Porto Velho, Rondônia, Brazil, as part of the "Urban and Community Gardens: Cultivating Connections" project. The project aimed to provide food and food education, promote practical skills, environmental awareness, and healthy eating habits for students. Despite difficulties such as finding new locations and shortened deadlines, which limited contact with students and the local community, the project successfully established a sustainable garden for community consumption and environmental education for those involved.

Joshua Garcia, Mariel Mondragon-Becerra, I. Rojas Martínez, Mallika Nocco, Cristina Lazcano · Applied Soil Ecology · United States (California)

A greenhouse trial was conducted in urban agricultural soil from the San Francisco Bay Area, USA, to investigate the effects of organic amendments derived from local municipal waste products on the soil microbiome, tomato productivity, and quality. Liquid food waste hydrolysate and mixed herbivore waste compost increased microbial abundance in the soil compared to mineral fertilizer. While mineral-fertilized tomato plants generally had higher productivity and yields, plants treated with the hydrolysate and mixed herbivore waste compost showed enhanced fruit soluble sugar content (°Brix).