Composting Consortium finds conventional plastic the most common contaminant in compost

Abstract

On February 28, 2024, the Composting Consortium, an industry collaboration led by the Center for the Circular Economy at Closed Loop Partners, released a report on compost contamination, Don't Spoil the Soil: The Challenge of Contamination at Composting Sites. The report is claimed to reveal first-of-its-kind data on the amount of contamination at U.S. composting facilities, and the cost to manage it. Working with composters across the U.S., the Consortium's in-field study quantifies contamination rates in feedstock and finished compost, reportedly highlighting a need for policy, innovation and packaging design to help composters improve contamination mitigation and strengthen organics recovery processes.