Healthy Soils Healthy Seas
Improving Ocean Health Starts on Land
The overarching goal of the project is to improve and protect ocean health, by educating, inspiring and empowering the community to foster environmentally responsible behaviors, with an initial focus on residential and commercial composting in Newport County, Rhode Island. This brings together existing composting efforts into a sustainable model and integrated operations that will demonstrate the effectiveness, efficiency, and strategic benefit of diverting food scraps from our waste stream and increasing awareness of the connectivity of healthy soils and healthy seas.
Overview of active efforts
Advance commercial collections – Tipping fees for commercial waste at the landfill continues to rise and these fees are used in a complex algorithm to offset and establish multi-year fixed rates for municipal waste. With the Rhode Island landfill reaching capacity by 2034, it is very likely that tipping fees for commercial waste will continue to increase. By introducing food scrap diversion, which could account for 50% of commercial restaurant waste, this will introduce the value proposition and viability of commercial composting as a means for customers to start, continue, and expand food scrap diversion to lower their solid waste volume, overall savings for the business, and creating a healthier environment.
Advance residential collections – Residents of Newport County are keenly aware that years of effort to address litter and marine debris issues are having a measurable impact with cleaner streets and healthier shorelines. At the same time, topics ranging from sea-level rise to climate change are sparking local interest for action. The diversion of food scraps from the waste stream is a behavior change that allows residents to reduce waste, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve soil health and brings awareness to the single-use and low-value materials, that are predominantly made of petrochemicals and end up in their garbage cans.
Zero waste schools and events – Schools and events provide significant outreach potential to share the message and turn it into quantifiable action with the residents of Newport County and with visitors from the United States and around the world. Schools are in desperate need of transforming their waste footprint to demonstrate leadership to their students. By working with local schools, we’ve seen student led initiatives to expand recycling and eliminate foam trays from the cafeteria. Investing in the next generation (students) and educating the overall population (through events) are the main channels to expand the outreach of the project. The project has developed an extensive Zero Waste Education Initiative to help students and teachers adopt composting in their lunchroom by learning about it in their classrooms with in-depth lessons and guidance.
Local processing facility – Hauling fees for food scraps within the composting effort represent nearly 50% of the costs and increase carbon emissions. Decentralized composting facilities are a crucial component to the value chain and sustainability of composting for behavior changes to achieve the project goals. Rhode Island Nurseries is a 5th generation farm currently composts municipal lawn waste and have ample carbon necessary for composting of food. By demonstrating the feasibility of urban composting, this will create an opportunity for expanded discussion with farms across the region and further reduce the needs for hauling and may eventually lower collection fees. While resale of the soil amendment is not part of the business plan for 2020 operations, we do plan to showcase the value of local compost soil amendment to demonstrate its’ usefulness for farming, gardening, and addressing storm water issues.
Education and Outreach – Our education and outreach activities are aligned with our community scientist efforts so that a hands-on student-led experience can have the greatest chance of fostering environmentally responsible behaviors and promoting stewardship in our community via action. For complete information about education and outreach opportunities, please visit our education page.
Analytics and Reporting – Data becomes information and information becomes knowledge that informs our decision making to improve ocean health with action on land. With results since 2019 we have amassed an insightful data set that empowers our organization. All of our data is available for the public and our annual Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island Project report can be found on our reports page.
Advocacy – Our main goal is to bring about systemic change is to connect the community with the environment, educating, inspiring, and empowering to foster environmentally responsible behaviors. However, some forms of zero waste advancement require advocacy and policy. In 2020 state legislation was introduced to progress the Food Recover Incentive Policy to mandate any business generating more than 1 ton of food scraps per month must divert the material to composting. There are some exceptions to the rule, but we are glad that it made it into the House this year with House Bill #7868 and we testified on February 26, 2020 shortly before COVID-19 stopped this effort. This will continue.
Map of who is composting in the community
More about the project partners and funders
Formed in 2006, Clean Ocean Access (COA) has a primary focus on to eliminate marine debris, improve coastal water quality, and protect and preserve shoreline access. This new project formed out of the Clean Initiative and now has solid integration with the Ocean initiative and now we are thinking of using the compost soil amendment for shoreline access erosion control and improving ecosystem services. 
Aquidneck Community Table (ACT) "Food-Scraps-to-Compost" program has diverted thousands of gallons of food waste from the state landfill since 2012, using that material to enrich the soil of our community gardens. ACT hosts farmers markets during the year and share information about the different ways to get involved with the Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island Project. 
Rhodeside Revival is Rhode Island’s local residential composting program that brings your home’s food scraps away from the landfill, and into the garden. They offer options for curbside pickup and hub spot drop off. The hub spot locations are conveniently located across Aquidneck Island and in Jamestown. After signing up and becoming a Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island Champion, please go to the their website and sign up for the service. 
To close the loop in the food system, turning food scraps and "waste" products into compost and soil mixes that help gardeners and farmers grow more local food. We believe more local food means healthier communities...and we believe it all starts with healthy soil. After signing up and becoming a Healthy Soils, Healthy Seas Rhode Island Champion, please go to the their website and sign up for the service. 
The Center for EcoTechnology (CET) helps people and businesses save energy and reduce waste, and we are thrilled to have them a part of the project team with a focus on technical services for commercial accounts. CET work with partners throughout the country to address climate change by transforming the way we live and work – for a better community, economy, and environment. For more than 40 years, their innovative non-profit organization has offered practical solutions to save money, increase the health and comfort of our homes, and help businesses perform better. 
Rhode Island Nurseries (RIN) joins the project team to advance the local composting efforts. RIN is a 5th generation wholesale grower, producing the highest quality ornamental nursery stock to the landscape industry since 1895. They compost the lawn waste for most of the island and now are combining the carbon (lawn waste) and nitrogren (food scraps) to create rich compost as part of the Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island Project 
11th Hour Racing works with the sailing community and maritime industries to advance solutions and practices that protect and restore the health of our ocean. Inspired by and furthering the mission of The Schmidt Family Foundation, 11th Hour Racing embraces sponsorships, grantees, and ambassadors who integrate sustainability into their values and operations while educating, innovating and inspiring people with the critical message of ocean stewardship. Read more about 11th Hour Racing online. Get involved today
Residential – Are you a resident of Aquidneck Island, or Jamestown, or Bristol? Join the community momentum that improving ocean health starts on land, with an annual subscription for composting. As part of receiving the subsidized rate, you are joining the movement and we ask each participant to advance the project goals by performing the following efforts:
- Divert food scraps by a method of curbside pickup -or- bring to hub spot drop-off
- Install yard sign near the roadside to promote Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island
- Provide testimonial in 2020 to share your experience and why composting is important
- Help to grow the program by encouraging family, friends, and neighbors to get involved
We look forward to you joining the Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island Project!
If you do not live in the project area or want to start composting without joining the project, feel free to sign up today! Rhodeside Revival offers service throughout Rhode Island. Go to Rhodeside Revival website and sign up today.
Restaurants, Schools, Businesses, Events – Does your place reside on Aquidneck Island, or Jamestown, or Bristol? If so, you can join the community momentum that improving ocean health starts on land, and divert your food scraps for composting. With grant funding from 11th Hour Racing, we are offering an incredible savings for restaurants, businesses, schools, and events to get involved.
The project team has decades of experience with environmental sustainability, zero waste management and technical services to transform your place into a zero waste environment to minimize landfill waste, maximize proper recycling, and diverting all food scraps for composting. Whether you are ready to start today or need some help getting started, we’re here for you, just sign up on this form and we will contact you.
Frequently asked questions
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Statistics
Schools planned for diverting food scraps from the landfill
Commercial accounts diverting food scraps from the landfill
Households diverting food scraps from the landfill
Total pounds of food scraps diverted from the landfill
