The Common Orchard Project

Composting in Cincinnati

When it comes to composting, community-scale initiatives play an essential role in benefitting our communities and soils. As composting infrastructure and support grows, a multi-scaled approach helps ensure we are building a resilient, equitable system. Cincinnati is positioned to do just that. 

​In 2021, the City of Cincinnati received a USDA Community Composting grant, with the goal of building infrastructure for composting food scraps at community sites across Cincinnati. The Common Orchard Project has been a key partner in implementing this project. 

Community Composting Sites

Our composting work with garden and community sites around Cincinnati has been inspired by the Johnson-Su Bioreactors built at the Walnut Hills Community Gardens.

​We have iterated on this original bioreactor design to implement no-turn, aerated composting systems that work with the needs and limitations of gardens. Through this model, we support gardens with supplies, materials (including food scraps), and implementation, to compost up to a ton of material all at once. This system requires no ongoing maintenance and yields up to a yard of quality compost in a year's time - all for the garden to use.

This system can also be set up as a food scrap drop-off program. Offered to the community and gradually filled over time, it's a great way to connect people to the garden and redirect food waste into food resource all at once.