Designing for Clean Composting in Multifamily Communities | Lessons from COMPOST2026

By Michelle Horneff-Cohen

This was our third year exhibiting at COMPOST, and one thing was clear: the organics industry is maturing. Infrastructure is expanding. Policies are tightening. Enforcement conversations are increasing. And one theme surfaced repeatedly in conversations with municipalities, haulers, and composters: Participation and contamination remain limiting factors. And both challenges begin in the same place: in the kitchen.

What We Heard on the Ground
Meeting with existing customers is always one of the most valuable parts of exhibiting at this event. Communities already using our toss-able 100% pre-consumer molded fiber paper-pulp container with lid shared real-world results from their programs. We discussed what’s working, where friction still exists, and how to deepen participation and long-term adoption moving forward. 

Just as important were the new conversations, across regions and program types, several patterns emerged:

• Plastic compost buckets are not working and often end up in landfill or recycling streams.

• Residents continue to push back on the “ick factor” of composting.

• Compostable plastic bags are still contaminating the process.

• Behavior change remains slow, resource-intensive, and ongoing.

 None of this surprised us. But hearing it echoed consistently across states reinforced something important: the industry’s biggest barriers are not technological. They are behavioral and design-based.

The Plastic Bucket Problem
Many municipalities distribute a plastic countertop bucket at program launch and assume the job is done. The bucket may be sturdy. It may be reusable. But over time, several predictable issues surface. Buckets crack. Buckets smell. Buckets require regular washing. And eventually, many buckets are discarded. Haulers told us they are seeing these plastic buckets show up in recycling and landfill. This original “solution” becomes waste itself. 

At the same time, plastic liners, even those marketed as compostable, continue to create challenges at processing facilities. Removing them is labor-intensive and costly. When contamination rises too high, loads are rejected. Programs cannot afford that friction.

The “Ick Factor” Is Real
One of the most candid threads at COMPOST2026 was about emotion. Residents do not refuse to compost because they reject sustainability. They resist when composting feels unpleasant, inconvenient, or unsanitary.

Food scraps smell. They can attract pests. They leak when mishandled. When composting feels icky and messy, participation drops. And when participation drops, capture rates decline, contamination increases, and program goals become harder to meet. This is not a moral failure on the part of residents. It is a design issue.

Behavior Change Takes More Than Mandates
Another recurring discussion focused on contracts and program structure. Program managers often understand the importance of resident participation. But in many municipalities, contract negotiations prioritize collection logistics and processing infrastructure without fully accounting for in-home behavior. Providing a plastic bucket once, without sustained education, reinforcement, and improved tools, will not produce long-term results.

Behavior change is not a one-time intervention. It is an ongoing process that requires:

• Clear education

• Practical tools

• Reinforcement over time

• Emotional buy-in

• Visible success

Without these components, contamination is going to persist.

Clean Streams Start Upstream
We have come to learn that organics programs do not break down at the curb, they break down in the kitchen. COMPOST2026 reinforced that message. Haulers want cleaner feedstocks. Composters want fewer plastics in their stream. Municipalities want stronger diversion rates. All of those outcomes depend on what happens inside individual households. When in-home collection feels easy, clean, and manageable - participation improves. When it feels like extra work, it won’t. That is why upstream tools matter.

Why Plastic-Free Resonates
One consistent reaction at our booth was appreciation for a completely plastic-free approach. Attendees responded strongly to the idea of a toss-able 100% pre-consumer molded fiber paper-pulp container with lid, something designed to go from counter to organics bin without washing, liners, or complicated systems. Not because it is trendy. But because it addresses friction.

If residents do not have to rinse smelly bins daily, participation becomes easier. If there are no plastic liners entering the stream, contamination risks decline. If the tool itself aligns with clean processing, operational efficiency improves. It is a small shift in design with meaningful downstream impact.

Education Is Still the Multiplier
Technology alone will not solve contamination. Education remains essential. Municipalities that invest in clear messaging, multilingual outreach, and ongoing engagement see better results. But education works best when paired with tools that support the behavior being encouraged. Telling residents to compost is one step. Showing them how to do it easily and cleanly while providing them with a system which minimizes odor and effort is another. When composting feels manageable, it becomes repeatable. When it becomes repeatable, it becomes habit. And this habit is what will ultimately drive diversion.

Looking Ahead
COMPOST2026 confirmed that the industry is asking the right questions.

How do we reduce contamination without driving up processing costs?
How do we increase participation in multifamily housing?
How do we design systems that work in real kitchens, not just in policy documents?

The answer is integration. Municipalities, haulers, composters, and property managers must think about in-home collection as part of the infrastructure, not separate from it.

When communities are given tools that are clean, intuitive, and aligned with processing realities, programs perform better. Clean composting starts at home. And when the system supports the household experience, everything downstream improves.