WM EarthCare™ and U.S. Composting Council Announce Million Tomato Compost Campaign to Grow One Million Tomatoes for Community Gardens and Food Banks

NOVATO, Calif. — April 23, 2013 — As part of a nationwide effort to help grow healthy food for community gardens and food banks, WM EarthCare™ announced today that they are teaming with the U.S. Composting Council (USCC) in the Million Tomato Compost Campaign by donating compost to gardens in Oakland and Novato. The campaign will bring together the nation’s compost manufacturers, chefs, community gardens and food pantries to help build healthy soil that produces nutritious, sustainably grown, local food for the nation’s communities.

Celebrity Chef Nathan Lyon, co-host of PBS’ Growing a Greener World and author of “Great Food Starts Fresh” is the spokesperson for the campaign, encouraging schools and community gardens to grow their own tomatoes in soil improved with compost and offering healthy tomato-based recipes for families.

“We’re excited to be playing a role in the Million Tomato Compost Campaign and help grow one million tomatoes,” said Erin Levine, WM EarthCare™ specialist, Waste Management. “We know that many of our residents in our community do not have access to healthy, fresh food that is grown in rich soil that includes compost. This is a great way to work together and use our compost for the greater good of our community.”

As a leading member of the campaign, WM EarthCare™ is donating compost to the following community gardens:

• Marin Oaks High School – Green Day Garden (Novato)
• Acta Non Verba – ANV@Tassafaronga Garden (Oakland)
• City Slicker Farms (Oakland)

“I don’t think you can love local and sustainable food without loving compost too,” said Chef Nathan Lyon. “Joining the Million Tomato Compost Campaign is a great way for me to be a part of introducing people all around the country to nutritious food the whole family will love that is as healthy for the environment as it is for those who are eating it.”

The Million Tomato Compost Campaign is a program of the U.S. Composting Council, a national organization dedicated to the development, expansion and promotion of the composting industry.

Compost builds healthy soil, may reduce the need for chemical fertilizers and allows soil to hold water well, reducing irrigation needs and runoff. All of the compost manufacturers participating in the Million Tomato Compost Campaign produce Seal of Testing Assurance (STA) certified compost, which certifies that their compost meets Federal health and safety standards and has passed stringent testing measures, which ensure ongoing quality and safety.

“Compost has huge benefits for people growing local and sustainable food, but compost itself is a local and sustainable product as well,” said Michael Virga, Executive Director, U.S. Composting Council. “Compost manufacturers like WM EarthCare™ use the organic materials available in their community like leaves, lawn clippings, and food scraps to create compost, which is in turn used to grow more local plants and crops. It’s a closed loop just like recycling.”

People interested in participating in the Million Tomato Compost Campaign can track the number of tomatoes grown, and learn more about the program at www.buy-compost.com.

ABOUT WASTE MANAGEMENT

Waste Management, Inc., based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also one of the largest residential recycler and a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. To learn more information about Waste Management visit www.wm.com.

About the U.S. Composting Council

Established in 1990, the U.S. Composting Council (USCC) is the only national organization in the United States dedicated to the development, expansion and promotion of the composting industry. The USCC achieves this mission by encouraging, supporting and performing compost related research, promoting best management practices, establishing standards, educating professionals and the public about the benefits of composting and compost utilization, enhancing compost product quality, and developing training materials for composters and markets for compost products. USCC members include compost manufacturers, marketers, equipment manufacturers, product suppliers, academic institutions, public agencies, nonprofit groups and consulting/engineering firms.

International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) is a multi-media publicity and education event that showcases composting and compost products. It features composting in your back yard or at large scale commercial composting facilities.  ICAW is the largest and most comprehensive education initiative of the compost industry. It is celebrated each year in the first full week of May. This year’s theme is ‘Compost – Nature’s Way To Grow!’

The USCC is a non-profit 501(c) (6) organization that also directs the Composting Council Research and Education Foundation (CCREF), a 501(c) (3) charitable foundation, which administers public and private research and education activities.