Turning your employees into compost champions: A step-by-step playbook
Composting isn’t just a sustainability initiative—it’s a team sport. For large organizations striving to meet environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals, the biggest challenge often isn’t deciding whether to compost. It’s ensuring that everyone—from the C-suite to the custodial crew—is rowing in the same direction.
At Moonshot Compost, we’ve seen firsthand how employee engagement is the secret ingredient to a thriving, scalable composting program. Whether you’re a corporate campus in Dallas, a university in Austin, or a hospital group in Houston, success hinges on turning your team into Compost Champions.
This playbook will walk you through a step-by-step approach to empower every level of your organization to embrace composting as part of your broader sustainability strategy. You’ll also see how Moonshot provides the tools, training, and technology to help you succeed at scale.
Why employee engagement is critical to composting success
It’s not enough to place compost bins in kitchens or break rooms and hope for the best. Sustainable waste management requires active participation and consistency—especially in large organizations with dispersed locations and diverse teams.
Here’s what many enterprises face:
Inconsistent sorting behaviors across sites
Confusion around what’s compostable
Lack of accountability or follow-through
Enter: Compost Champions. These are the employees who lead the charge on the ground. They’re the bridge between high-level goals and day-to-day action. And with the right strategy, you can develop a whole team of them.
Step 1: Start with executive buy-in
Change begins at the top. Before composting can take root in the culture of your organization, leadership must be on board—and vocal about their support.
Key talking points for engaging the C-Suite
ESG Impact: Composting directly supports carbon reduction and zero-waste goals.
Brand Value: Demonstrates corporate responsibility to customers, investors, and employees.
Regulatory Preparedness: Future-proofs the organization against evolving waste mandates.
Use internal sustainability reporting or Moonshot’s Diversion Dashboard to show the tangible impact composting can have—and how it will be measured and communicated.
Step 2: Identify and train compost champions
Every location, department, or shift needs someone to lead the charge. A Compost Champion is more than an advocate—they’re a daily doer who keeps the program on track.
How to choose the right people
Department heads or team leads
Sustainability committee members
Enthusiastic employees looking to make a difference
Step 3: Customize training for different roles
A one-size-fits-all training won’t cut it. The way kitchen staff handles food scraps is different from how an office team handles lunch leftovers.
Suggested training formats
Kitchen or Food Service Teams: In-person demos with real-time feedback
Janitorial Staff: Hands-on walkthroughs of bin placement and maintenance
Office Employees: Quick video explainers and visible signage
Moonshot requires on-site training that fits seamlessly into your operations.
Step 4: Make composting convenient and clear
Even the most well-intentioned programs fail if composting isn’t easy. That’s why physical setup matters.
Best practices
Strategic Bin Placement: In food prep areas, next to trash and recycling, and aligned with kitchen workflow
Clear Signage: Use images, color coding, and simple messaging
Frequent Bin Swaps: Moonshot provides clean bins at every pickup
We also help reduce contamination by providing laminated guides tailored to your environment.
Step 5: Motivate with metrics and recognition
Sustainability isn’t just science—it’s psychology. Seeing results fuels ongoing engagement and accountability.
Ideas to keep teams motivated
Departmental composting competitions
Monthly leaderboard of pounds diverted
Team shoutouts or spot rewards
With Moonshot’s proprietary Diversion Dashboard, your organization can track impact by location or timeframe—and share it in sustainability reports or marketing materials.
Step 6: Maintain momentum with feedback and refreshers
Composting isn’t “set it and forget it.” Especially in high-turnover environments like hospitality and healthcare, ongoing engagement is key.
Tips to stay on track
Quarterly refresher trainings
Employee surveys to refine signage or pickup times
New-hire onboarding modules that include composting protocols
Why Moonshot is your partner for scalable composting success
We’re not just a compost hauler—we’re your sustainability partner. Here’s what makes Moonshot Compost different:
Clean Bin Swaps: Fresh containers every time, with no mess or smell.
Diversion Dashboard: Real-time reporting for ESG metrics, marketing, and internal comms.
Tailored Staff Training: For kitchens, janitorial teams, and office staff.
Texas-Wide Coverage: Serving Austin, Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, and Waco—with capacity to support enterprise clients across multiple cities.
Ready to build your compost champion team?
If you’re a sustainability leader looking to scale composting across multiple sites or departments, let’s talk.
Let’s turn your composting goals into action—and your people into passionate environmental stewards.
