Midwest Compost Training School
Tues Sept 15, 2026-Thurs Sept 17, 2026
The Midwest Compost Training School, organized by compost professionals from Illinois and Wisconsin, is a comprehensive, educational and hands-on training program for compost facility staff and composting professionals.
Those attending will gain knowledge, experience, and skills that will help build successful and robust composting operations that increase soil health, reduce waste in landfills and create healthier and more vibrant communities. You will learn about commercial-scale compost production, recipe development, pile building, monitoring, along with other related topics. You will also have an opportunity to learn about equipment along with visual demonstrations.
Looking for lodging? Check out Holiday Inn Express & Suites Lake Zurich: 197 S Rand Road.
PRELIMINARY SCHEDULE: SPEAKER BIOS COMING SOON!
DAY 1: TUES Sept 15, 2026
(7:30AM – 2:30PM INDOOR CLASSROOM)
7:30 AM CHECK IN | REGISTRATION
- Wauconda Township Office, 505 W. Bonner Road, Wauconda, IL 60084
8:00 AM Welcome + Introduction + Course Overview
8:30 AM Compost Process Overview–Dr Kapil Arora, Field Agriculture Engineer, Iowa State University
9:45 AM BREAK
10:00 AM Feedstock + Recipe Development–Vytas Pabedinskas, Soil Scientist, Save Our Soil LLC
11:00 AM Process Variables + Composting Systems–Alex Thomas, Director of Growth and Composting, Green Box Composting
12:00 AM LUNCH
1:00 PM Process Monitoring + Field Tracking–Vytas Pabedinskas, Soil Scientist, Save Our Soil LLC
1:45 PM Recipe Calculator Use + Small Group Breakouts
(2:30PM – 5:00 PM OUTDOOR CLASSROOM)
2:30 PM Field Exercise
5:00 PM ADJOURN
DAY 2: Wed Sept 16, 2026
(8:30 AM – 5:00 PM USE OF BOTH INDOOR CLASSROOM + OUTDOOR CLASSROOM)
8:30 AM CHECK IN
- Wauconda Township Office, 505 W. Bonner Road, Wauconda, IL 60084
- Then …Field Piles
9:30 AM Compost Testing Standards–Dr Kapil, Field Agricultural Engineer, Iowa State University
10:15 AM BREAK
10:30 AM Q&A SESSION
11:00 AM Compost Maturity Testing
12:00 PM LUNCH
1:00 PM Odor Management Techniques–Alex Thomas, Director of Growth and Composting, Green Box Composting
1:45 PM Permit Management–John Lardner, Patriot Acres, JPL Environmental Engineering
2:30 PM BREAK
2:45 PM Testing + Temperatures
3:30 PM Operations Specifics–Andy Klink, Site Operations Manager, Midwest Organics Recycling
5:00 PM ADJOURN
DAY 3: THURS SEPT 17, 2026
(8:30 AM – 9:00 AM INDOOR + OUTDOOR CLASSROOM)
8:30 AM CHECK IN
- Wauconda Township Office, 505 W. Bonner Road, Wauconda, IL 60084
- And …Field Piles
(9:00 AM – 5:00 PM INDOOR CLASSROOM)
9:00 AM Pile Performance Debrief
9:45 AM Finished Product Marketing–Jessica Polansky, Agronomy Business Development, Midwest Organics Recycling
11:00 AM Fundamentals of Food Composting + Working With Source Separated Organics
12:00 PM LUNCH
1:00 PM Virtual Equipment Demo
3:00 PM TBD
3:30 PM Testing
5:00 PM CLOSING PROGRAM + ADJOURN
Who Should Attend Midwest Compost Training School?
Compost facility staff, commercial composters and composting professionals at all experience levels.
Anyone interested in learning more about composting on the medium to large scale, whether for a municipality, a farm, or community garden is an ideal student for this training!
Questions? Contact
compostwisconsin@gmail.com
Benefits of Attending Midwest Compost Training School
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Develop knowledge, skills and experience to build successful composting operations, facilities & careers
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Learn from experts in the field
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Meet others in the industry and make connections
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Learn during indoor and outdoor classroom experiences
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Experience live equipment demonstrations
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Qualify for the US Composting Council CCP and CCOM Professional Certification Program
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Take home a Midwest Compost Training School Guide
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Receive a Certificate of Attendance
What’s Included in Registration?
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3 days of training including presentations by experts on various topics
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Hands-on learning experiences
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Demonstrations
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Lunch each day
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Midwest Compost Training School Guide
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Certificate of Attendance
