Feb 2 - First Compost Project to be Funded by Carbon Credits

Zanker Road Resource Management has announced that it will be the first compost facility to utlize a recently adopted Climate Action Reserve protocol to sell carbon credits. CAW strongly supported the creation of this protocol and is excited to see that it is resulting in the diversion of organic wastes from landfills.

The protocol allows facilities to generate credits when they divert food waste that had previously been disposed of in landfills, and according to Zanker, a fifth of the 283,000 tons of materials that will be processed at the facility each year will be eligibe to generate offsets.

The company's press release describes the importance of this announcement:

This is a landmark event for composters across the nation who will have the ability to sell carbon credits (CRTs) which create economic incentives and cost effective development of processing infrastructure as more and more food waste is collected from residents and businesses. The City of San Jose provides the majority of the organic waste that is processed through Zanker’s facility, and John Stufflebean, Director of the City’s Environmental Services Department explains that "this project is a reflection of the leadership and innovation we see in the area, and helps to meet San Jose’s Green Vision goals of zero waste to landfills, reduction of GHG, and green job creation."

Learn more about the greenhouse gas benefits of composting.