The Composting Council Annual Awards

The awards are presented each year at the Annual Conference and Trade Show. The next Awards Celebration will be at the Charleston Convention Center in South Carolina, Jan. 28-31, 2020.

The Deadline for Nominations is October 5, 2019
You must be a USCC member to submit a nomination

AWARD DESCRIPTIONS

Composter of the Year – WORD PDF
Awarded to a commercial-scale composting facility, public or private, which has displayed excellence in both compost production and marketing/distribution. The nominated facility must be in operation for a minimum of five years, process more than 10,000 tons of feedstock per year and in regulatory compliance for the last three years.

Composting Program of the Year Award – WORD PDF
Awarded to a small-scale composting facility or program, public or private, that has demonstrated organics diversion to composting or vermicomposting including a component of education and public outreach. The nominated program must be in operation for a minimum of one year, process less than 10,000 tons/year of feedstock, and be in regulatory compliance.

Hi Kellogg Award – WORD PDF
Awarded to an individual who has displayed outstanding service to the U. S. composting industry over a period of many years. This award recognizes individuals who have left a lasting positive impact on the U.S. composting industry. A nominee must be active in the composting industry for a minimum of 10 years.

Rufus Chaney Award – WORD PDF
Awarded to an individual who has displayed excellence in the area of compost research over a period of many years. This award recognizes those individuals whose breath of research and/or research findings have had a significant impact on the composting industry and/or end users of compost. A nominee must be active in compost/composting research for a minimum of 10 years.

H. Clark Gregory Award – WORD PDF
Awarded to an individual who has displayed outstanding service to the composting industry through various grassroots efforts; including backyard composting, vermicomposting, or public or end user education. A nominee must be active in one or more of these compost related efforts for a minimum of 5 years.

Clean Water Award – WORD PDF
Awarded to a person or company in the compost industry or related field who have completed projects that positively impacted water quality via the use of organics or increased awareness of the link between quality soils, compost and water quality. Projects that use organic materials and have created clean water, prevent pollution, improved soil quality leading to improved water quality, conserves water or other practices related to water quality issues are eligible for this award.

The USCC would like to congratulate the winners of the USCC’s 2018 Annual Awards!

The 2018 awards were presented at the Closing Plenary held at COMPOST2019 in Phoenix, AZ.

2018 Award Winners

2018 Composter of the Year, Large-Scale, Awarded to City of Plano-Texas Pure Products, Plano, TX
This facility was established in 1992 by the City of Plano in partnership with four-member cities: Plano, Allen, Frisco, McKinney, Richardson and North Texas Municipal Water District. The compost they produce is STA certified and OMRI listed, made from feedstock collected from groceries, markets and “back of house” preparation of food and yard trimmings.

2018 Composter of the Year, Small-Scale, Awarded to The Compost Company, Nashville, TN
The 5,000 ton per year facility provides both manufacturing and collection from locations such as Music City Center, Nashville’s LEED Gold convention center, as well as The Country Music Hall of Fame.

H. Clark Gregory Award for outstanding grass roots efforts to promote composting and public outreach, Awarded to the Solana Center for Environmental Innovation, Diane Hazard, Executive Director.
In 1983, Solana Center pioneered the first comprehensive curbside recycling program in Southern California and is one of the first community-based recycling programs in the U.S.

Program of the Year, Awarded to City of Minneapolis
Education and outreach led to 49,350 households (46%) signing up and participating in the city’s two-year-old citywide organics recycling program – and with a very low contamination rate (less than 1% in residential curbside organics).

Previous USCC Award Recipients

Composter of the Year

2017 Cedar Grove Compost, Seattle, WA

2016 Tanks Green Stuff

2015 Rockland County Solid Waste Management Authority

2014 Charleston County’s Bees Ferry Composting Facility

2013 Joseph DiNorscia, Laurel Valley Soils

2012 Jeff Ziegenbein, Inland Empire Regional Composting Authority

2011 McGill Environmental Systems

2010 Ron Miesbauer, South Kern Compost Manufacturing Facility (Synagro)

2009 Bill Camarillo, Agromin

2008 Bob Yost, A-1 Organics, Denver CO

2007 Steve Elliott, Mecklenburg County, NC

2006 Sun-Land Garden Products, Watsonville, CA

2005 Paul Brewer, Navy Whidbey Recycling, Whidbey Island, WA

2004 George Belmont, New England Organics

2002 Wayne King, ERTH Products, LLC.

2000 Scott Plett, Davenport Compost Facility

1996 Peter Garnham, Town of East Hampton, NY

1995 Jeff Gage, Land Recovery, Inc.

1994 Sharon Barnes, Barnes Nursery, Huron, OH

Composting Program of the Year

2017 University of Florida Student Compost Cooperative

2016 Recycle Smart

2015 Texas State University Bobcat Blend Composting Program

2014 NYC Compost Project, New York, NY

2010 Greg Gelewski, Madison County

Hi Kellogg Award

2017 Wayne King, ERTH products

2016 Ginny Black

2015 Kathy KC Alexander – Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection and Sumner Martinson – MA-DEP

2014 Frank Franciosi

2013 Dr. Nora Goldstein

2012 Dr. Frank Guoin, University of Maryland

2011 Michele Young, City of San Jose – Environmental Services Dept.

2010 Craig Coker, Coker Composting & Consulting

2009 Jeffrey LeBlanc, WeCare Organics

2008 Dr. Walter Carey, New Milford Farms

2007 Chris Bales, New England Organics

2006 Marvin Urbanczyk, SCARAB Manufacturing and Leasing, L.P.

2005 T. Scott McCoy, TX Commission on Environmental Quality

2004 Rod Tyler, Filtrexx International LLC

2002 Ronald Alexander, R. Alexander Associates, Inc.

1996 Philip B. Leege, Environmental Engineer, Procter & Gamble

1995 Eliot Epstein, E&A Environmental Consultants

1993 Jan Beyea, National Audubon Society

1992 Norman N Nosenchuch, NY Department of Environmental Protection

1991 William Mitchel, University of Delaware

1990 Jerry Goldstein, BioCycle/J.G. Press

H. Clark Gregory Award

2017 Alisa Keesey, Give Love

2016 Brenda Platt, Institute of Local Self-Reliance

2015 Christine Datz-Romero – Lower East Side Ecology Center

2014 Joe Jenkins

2013 Melissa Tashjian, Kompost Kids, Inc.

2012 Will Allen, Growing Power Farm

2011 Sites Initiative, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

2010 Alice Waters, Chez Panisse Foundation

2009 Eva Christensen, Earth Tenders

2008 Claire and Rusty Orner, Quiet Creek Herb Farm & School of Country Living

2006 Sumith Samarakoon Jayawardene, Burns Environmental Technologies Limited, Sedawatte, Sri Lanka

2005 Heather Merchant, Compost Marketing and Education, City of Plano, TX

2004 Michelle Young, City of San Jose, CA

2002 Patrick McNelly, Orange County Sanitation District

2000 Stan Slaughter, Kansas City, KS

1996 Mike Merkwan, Tucson Tilth, Tucson, AZ

Rufus Chaney Award

2017 Monica Ozores-Hampton, University of Florida

2016 Marcus Zbinden, Carver County MN Environmental Services

2015 K.C. Das – University of Georgia at Athens

2014 Jean Bonhotal

2011 Craig Cogger, Washington State University

2010 Dr. Fred Michel, The Ohio State University

2009 Dr. Sally Brown, University of Washington

2008 Dr. Tim Haug, City of Los Angeles

2007 Dr. Faith Büyüksönmez, San Diego State University

2006 Dr. Harold M. Keener, Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, The Ohio State University

2005 Dr. Aziz Shiralipour, University of Florida

2004 Frank Shields, Soil Control Lab

2002 Dr. Peter U. Stoffella, University of Florida

1996 Dr. Patricia Millner, Research Leader of the Soil Microbial Systems Lab, USDA Agricultural Research Service

1995 Dr. George Fitzpatrick, University of Florida

1994 Dr. Francis Gouin, University of Maryland

1993 Dr. Rufus Chaney, USDA Beltsville (inaugural award)

Clean Water Award

2017 John Kelly, Casella Organics

2014 Peter Stofella

2011 Barrie Cogburn, Texas Department of Transportation, Design Division

2010 Ronald Alexander, R. Alexander Associates, Inc.

2009 Jack Hoeck, Rexius

2008 Dr. Britt Faucette, Filtrexx International LLC

2007 Wayne King, ERTH Products, Inc.

2005 Sego Jackson, Snohomish County; David McDonald, City of Seattle; Kris Beatty, King County; and Connie Allison, Washington Organics Recycling Council, Soils for Salmon program

2004 Jean Schwab, USEPA

Outstanding Service

2015 Heidi Ringhofer, Paul Sellew and Rod Tyler

2011 Jim McNelly, Renewable Carbon Management

2010 Ginny Black, Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

2009 Ron Alexander & Al Rattie – STA Program

1996 Bill Greggs, Proctor and Gamble

1995 Oley Sheremeta, Recomp of Washington

1994 Archie Albright, William Ruchelshaus, BFI

1993 Daniel Beard, Department of Interior

1991 George Hochbrueckner, Congressman, NY

Philip Leege, Proctor and Gamble, for the Facility Planning Guide

1990 Jeff Rake, Enzyme Industries, Heath, Ohio, Dave Miller

Rodale Agricultural – AWARD DISCONTINUED

1996 Ed Maltby, Smith Vocational

1995 Pat Herbert, Herbert Ranch

1995 Joe Keyser, Maryland Environmental Service

1995 George Fitzpatrick, University of Florida

1994 Lewis Carr, University of Maryland

Special Awards

2013 Sharon Barnes, Barnes Nursery. Inc

1995 Bill Greggs, Proctor and Gamble

1995 Oley Sheremeta, Recomp of Washington

1994 Archie Albright, William Ruchelshaus, BFI

USCC MVP

2009 Rosa Bottoni-USCC, NY

Past presidents recognized at the 2016 awards luncheon:

Rod Tyler, 2015

Lorrie Loder, 2013-14

Frank Franciosi, 2011-12

Wayne King, 2009-10

Matt Cotton, 2006-08

Carl Kipp, 2005

Kevin Tritz, 2002-04

Jack Hoeck, 2001

Stu Buckner, 2000

Sharon Barnes, 1999

These winners have given generously of their time and talent to further the compost industry and to protect the environment for future generations. Please join the USCC in thanking them for their efforts.