Every year in the first full week of May, people around the world come together to celebrate International Compost Awareness Week (ICAW) – a global campaign to highlight the benefits of composting and its vital role in building healthy soils, supporting climate action and creating more regenerative communities.

ICAW was first launched in Canada in 1995 and has since grown into the largest and most comprehensive education initiative around composting worldwide. During the week communities host  activities, events, talks, tours and educational campaigns that shine a spotlight on the power of compost to return nutrients to the soil, reduce landfill waste, cut greenhouse gas emissions and form connections. Each year, the International Compost Awareness Week Committee holds a poster contest to pick a design for the annual poster.

2025 Winning Poster by Abbie Sawyer

This year’s theme, “Sustainable Communities Begin with Compost,” was chosen to highlight the value of composting in all kinds of communities at any scale – from backyard home composters, to community composters, to large-scale facilities and to all those who recognize the many benefits of using compost on our soils.  The theme was also inspired by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #11 “Sustainable Cities and Communities: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable.”

Join us on May 3 for our special online event to mark International Compost Awareness Week! 

What’s in Store?

• Guest speakers, including Danny White from Peels – the new “Sharewaste”
• Virtual tour of Alex King’s incredible community composting project in Moruya NSW
• Help launch our #BanPlasticFruitStickers campaign
•  Q&A sessions to dive into the world of community composting
• What’s On Guide – a roundup of upcoming events around Australia for International Compost Awareness Week
• LOCCAL Members General Meeting to get involved and have your say

Let’s celebrate compost and community together! Bookings essential

When: Saturday 3^rd May, 2025

5.30 – 7pm (QLD/ NSW/ VIC / TAS)

6- 7.30pm (SA)

3.30 – 5pm (WA)

Yes, we know it’s election day, but hey, who wouldn’t want to talk about compost after casting your vote? And anyway, there’s no point watching Anthony Greene until at least 8pm because the results won’t tell you anything until then! So join us!

Why It Matters

Composting isn’t just about reducing waste – it’s about nurturing thriving and connected communities. Local composting projects spark joy, build neighbourly bonds and reconnect people with the natural rhythms of life, death and regeneration. Community composting  allows people to develop a sense of agency, enabling them to manage their own resources and at the same time support environmental renewal and food security. It can also create meaningful volunteer and job opportunities. Composting is a healthy, outdoor, low-cost, fossil-free practice that unites people across all walks of life and builds deep connections with the seen and unseen forces of nature.