Participating Households Kept Tons Of Food Waste Out Of Landfill
The results are now in from this year’s Backyard Compost Challenge, an annual community action project facilitated by Boxerwood on behalf of all three local jurisdictions. Funded by a competitive grant from the Virginia Dept of Environmental Quality, this year’s iteration enlisted 85 area households in a 10-week project with a goal of fostering new food waste diversion habits.
As in previous years, each household received a free composter, related supplies, and online Boxerwood coaching in exchange for reporting the amount of food waste diverted from the landfill to their composter each week.
Collectively these newlycomposting households kept two tons (4,073 pounds) of food waste out of the landfill during the 70-day challenge, a stewardship action that brings both economic and environmental benefits. “Since 98% of Challenge participants reported plans to continue composting, that’s an impact that keeps growing,” noted Boxerwood educator Catherine Epstein, the project’s facilitator.
The high percentage of households successfully completing the Challenge and the amount of compost generated was consistent with previous years. Followup surveys highlighted the value of the project for its participants. While many were motivated to start composting to benefit home gardens, a number of households articulated additional benefits. These benefits included developing a greater awareness of how individual actions impact the world. As one participant wrote, “I am more conscious of food waste and want to minimize it in my household.” Another household reported that they are now “using ripe food rather than tossing it,” and yet another wrote that they are “more mindful of how to limit waste and eating healthier.”
Reflecting on the high completion rate, Epstein noted the collective element of the Challenge infused the project with additional purpose. As one participant put it, “I loved how it was a community project so it felt like part of something bigger.” Another noted the many ways they felt connected to other Challenge participants: “I felt a camaraderie in knowing others were doing what I was doing ... planning meals, sharing meals, trying not to waste, everything that goes into doing better for the environment. I liked seeing the [Backyard Challenge] yard signs when I would be out and about.” Still another participant expressed, “I love being part of a community that is actively working, in our small way, to help solve the global climate crisis.”
Several participants also noted how valuable it was to learn composting alongside young people, whose new habits will last far into the future. One participant wrote that “getting my kids involved” was especially meaningful: “even my 3-year-old mostly knows what can be composted. The kids automatically put the right things in the compost bin.” Another participant expressed that the Challenge created “a way to teach my daughter how to be a friend to the Earth.”
Over six years the project has equipped more than 500 Rockbridge-area households with the tools and skills to become effective, selfreliant composters. In addition to the annual Backyard Compost Challenge, Boxerwood also facilitates an ongoing school-composting program called Waste Busters. Funded by the County of Rockbridge Recycling office, Waste Busters provides opportunities for students at all four RCPS elementary schools to participate in daily lunchroom composting, resulting in more than 7,000 pounds of food waste diverted from the landfill in school year 2025-26.
