Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us
2026 International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) in Illinois
The mission is simple but powerful: bring people together to share the benefits of composting organics and using compost to build healthier soil. ICAW inspires action at every level: communities, schools, governments, and businesses host events to highlight composting.
ICAW shows how everyone can play their part in creating a more sustainable future.
This year’s theme, “Compost! Feed the Soil that Feeds Us,” highlights the vital role compost plays in sustaining life on land.
Soil is the foundation of life. It grows the food we eat, filters the water we drink, and sustains the biodiversity that keeps our ecosystems in balance. Yet soil is also one of our most threatened resources, with erosion, topsoil & nutrient depletion, and contamination endangering its health worldwide.
When we apply high quality compost, we are investing in the health of our soil, ensuring it continues to provide the food, clean water, and resilience that all life depends on. This theme ties directly to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 15: Life on Land, reinforcing that protecting and restoring soil is a global priority and one of the most impactful ways we can care for the planet.
Please reach out if you’d like to learn how you can get involved. We can help you plan your Adventure in Composting event. We provide a variety of resources for all types of organizations.
Interested in celebrating compost? Join us by submitting your event.
IFSCC’S ICAW 2026 FULL SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Adventures In Composting: Happening May 3-9, 2026 (Check back in April!)
May 4, Legislative Lunch & Learn, Noon REGISTER HERE
Counties, Parks and Municipalities Dig in
Illinois counties and municipalities are invited to host an event with IFSCC during International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW)
IFSCC shares fun ideas on how to:
- Send a press release about ICAW 2026
- Educate residents on the benefits of compost
- Promote compost services in your community
- Host a compost bin sale to help increase diversion
- Plan events to distribute finished compost
Libraries, Schools and COMPOST…Oh My!
Illinois libraries and schools are encouraged to host an event with IFSCC during International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW)
IFSCC shares fun ideas on how to:
- Highlight educational, interactive composting books
- Host compost-focused events for all ages
- Engage communities in composting
- Develop compost activities as climate action
Host a Compost Giveback Event!
One of the best reasons to host a Compost Giveback is to provide this valuable resource to the community. Compost offers an opportunity to reap the many benefits of applying compost to gardens, yards, landscaping, farms, and facilities.
Ready to buy compost?
Find IFSCC Compost Processors and Resellers here:
Look for *ICAW2026 Partners*
IFSCC ICAW Chair Spotlight
Merleanne Rampale – SWALCO – ICAW Chair
Merleanne has been a long-time champion of the planet and an advocate for the advancement and promotion of compost/ing. Along with her father, a biologist and conservationist who loved all things nature and the outdoors, she started gardening and composting from a very young age. On Hickory Shagbark Lake, their small farm they shared with family and a number of wonderful animals, they also grew a variety of vegetables, herbs, flower gardens, trees and fruit orchards. Merleanne works as Programs, Outreach and Education Director for SWALCO and collaborates and works with municipalities, community groups and a variety of organizations on many environmental initiatives and waste diversion efforts, including food waste and related issues. In addition to other programs and activities she coordinates for the agency, she worked on a 2 year compost grant with USDA, and hosts an annual Compost Bin and Rain Barrel sale. She has given numerous demos and presentations on waste prevention (including food), healthy homes & yards, gardening, composting, how-to, impact and related topics. She has worked with communities to implement and promote curbside programs, educated on the importance of utilizing compost on a variety of “venues”/sites, instructed groups and individuals, and educated residents about the variety of composting opportunities available along with highlighting the tremendous value of this amazing process and product. Merleanne whole-heartedly believes that compost can change the world!
