Why Expanding Organics Programs Fail Without Effective Drop-Off and Storage Infrastructure
Across North America, cities and communities are expanding food waste and organics programs at record pace – yet participation, contamination, and operational strain remain persistent challenges.
Insights from recent discussions on expanding organics, food waste drop-offs, and community composting all point to a shared conclusion: the success of organics programs is being limited by infrastructure, not intent.
Most residents want to compost. The friction shows up later when:
When these things happen, participation drops because the system doesn’t work.
Many communities rely heavily on curbside organics collection when in practice:
Drop-offs and shared organics hubs are not optional, they are essential infrastructure.
Food waste drop-offs succeed when they are:
Where these conditions aren’t met, contamination rises and programs stall.
Community composting programs often invest heavily in outreach and less so on the infrastructure itself. Education alone cannot overcome:
Infrastructure that guides correct behaviour is what turns engagement into sustained participation.
The most resilient organics programs treat food waste infrastructure as:
Organics recycling doesn’t fail because people don’t care – but because the systems in place, or the absence of them, actively discourage participation.
