Composting

Since 2016, the MV Organics Recovery Committee, a project of the Martha’s Vineyard Vision Fellowship, has partnered with IGI to explore the viability of food waste collection and on-island composting of organic waste. IGI’s farm served as the pilot food waste processing location, and successfully transformed over 3 million pounds of food waste into nutrient-rich compost. 

The IGI site was always intended to be the pilot location, and the pilot came to a close at the end of August 2024.  The Organics Recovery Committee, made up of local municipal authorities, solid waste experts, and other stakeholders, has worked hard for years to secure a permanent processing location. Plans are now being finalized for a new site at a municipal facility capable of handling 1,000+ tons of food waste annually.

While this new site is developed, IGI is working in partnership with the Vision Fellowship on near-term solutions for residential and school-based food waste collection and composting.

You don't have to wait for these new solutions to emerge to take action on reducing and composting food waste.  Here are some ideas of actions you can take today:

We are proud of our wonderful farm team that has worked so hard for so many years to prove that food waste collection and composting is viable here on the island and can produce an incredible product that transforms soils. Now we are confident that permanent solutions for food waste processing--the kinds of systemic solutions the island needs--will be here soon.

Please stay tuned here on our website and through the Organics Recovery Committee for updates.