Let’s Incentivize Composting in Ohio!

When you put food scraps in a GoZERO cart, you’ve taken an important first step. Behind that cart are people, trucks, equipment, and compost sites that turn those scraps into something useful.

Helping more Ohio communities compost means supporting that whole process. Equipment grants can help buy a machine or build a site. But keeping that equipment working—and making sure scraps become compost—takes ongoing work.

We think Ohio should test a simple idea: support the places we need, and reward the composting that gets done.

We’re calling our proposal the Ohio Compost Performance Pool. It is an idea for a small pilot, not an approved or funded program.

How would it work?

Ohio would set aside a fixed amount of money before the pilot begins. After checking the results, the program would divide the reward money among participating operators based on the food scraps they actually composted.

An operator that handled 10% of the group’s verified eligible tons would receive 10% of the reward money.

Here’s a made-up example:

  • $200,000 funds the whole pilot.

  • $20,000 covers setup, administration, and checking records.

  • $180,000 remains for performance payments.

  • If participants compost 18,000 eligible tons, the payment works out to $10 per ton.

The budget would stay fixed. If participants composted twice as many tons, the payment per ton would fall by half. Operators would need to understand that uncertainty before making spending decisions.

Count completed composting—not just deliveries

Dropping scraps at a compost site would not be enough to earn a payment. Records would need to show that eligible food scraps completed the composting process, with checks on compost quality.

The rules would also need to keep plastic, rejected material, and added water out of the paid weight. Each ton could count only once.

Small operators should have a fair way to participate, with clear forms, practical measurement options, and help understanding the requirements. The public should be able to see what was paid, what the program cost, and what it achieved.

Keep food waste prevention first

The goal is to make better use of scraps that remain after we prevent waste and share food people can still eat.

Grants would still matter. Some communities need equipment or a compost site. Others may have room to process more scraps but struggle to cover the work. A pilot could help Ohio learn where each kind of support is most useful.

It would also need to answer an honest question: Did these payments help more food scraps get composted, or pay for work that would have happened anyway? Both existing and added recovery should be reported clearly.

Start small, learn, then decide

Before a pilot could launch, Ohio would need to confirm a lawful funding path, name an administrator, and set clear rules. Funding—including any possible landfill-fee revenue—has not been secured. Existing grant programs should not be assumed to allow these payments.

We’re inviting compost operators, communities, solid waste districts, Ohio EPA, and lawmakers to help shape a fair test.

Want to join the conversation?

Build what’s missing. Support the work. Check the results before expanding.


Jonah Christner