The city of Hailey’s Community Compost Project, with its orange, eye-catching collection is turning waste into nutrient-dense, living humus that enriches the soil of the Wood River Valley. At six locations throughout the city, anybody can drop food scraps, plant matter, and soiled paper into a bin. The bins are emptied twice a week by Clear Creek Disposal and trucked to Winn’s Compost, where the organic waste is composted and then redistributed to farms, gardens, and yards across the Valley and the Snake River Plain.
Emily Williams, sustainability and grants coordinator for Hailey, explained that Hailey’s residents had long expressed interest in a public, shared composting solution. The city applied for funding through an Idaho Department of Environmental Quality sustainable materials management grant, and the Community Compost Project was born.
In September 2024, the project launched with the installation of four bins offering free food scrap disposal throughout Hailey. The initial plan was to empty the bins weekly, but the public response was immediate and enthusiastic. The bins filled up in days, and the city added a second weekly pickup. Community members continued to contribute so much organic waste that the city decided to use the remaining grant money (initially slated for outreach) to purchase three more bins, which were installed in March 2025, just six months after the Community Compost Project began.
“I’ve been thrilled by the popularity of this project. People want to be part of it, they are paying attention, and they really care about composting correctly,” said Williams.
Approximately 1,200 pounds of organic waste is diverted from the landfill each week through this program. The collection bins have been mostly free of contamination and are not attracting pests, two primary concerns that the city had before installation.
Williams noted that Hailey is fortunate to have a commercial composting operation just a few miles away and to have a waste management company that embraces composting as well. “I am so grateful for our project partners at Clear Creek Disposal and Winn’s Compost. They have made this program possible.”
A true collaborative effort among city government, residents, and local companies, this composting initiative is an elegant example of how communities can turn the problem of organic waste into a solution for soil amendment. Approximately half of all municipal waste is organic matter. When that organic waste is trucked to a landfill, it decomposes in an oxygen-deprived environment, releasing methane, a greenhouse gas with up to 80 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide over a 20-year timescale. In contrast, composting food and other organic matter allows the waste to decompose in an oxygen-rich environment, where fungi, worms, and other beneficial microorganisms transform it into “black gold,” or compost. This rich soil food replenishes the ground beneath our feet and promotes plant growth.
After the first successful year of the Community Compost Project, Blaine County launched a commercial food waste disposal program for ten Ketchum restaurants in October. Williams is encouraged by the fact that a neighboring community is pioneering composting for businesses, while Hailey is leading the way on collective, household composting. Hopefully, one day there will be both residential and commercial composting available throughout the Wood River Valley.
Everyone can participate in the Community Compost Project, regardless of where they live. To begin, collect food scraps, soiled paper, and plant waste in a container at home. Bring the full container—free of contaminants such as fruit stickers or other plastic—to any of the six bin locations, including an ADA-accessible bin at Hailey City Hall. Unlock the bin through an app or punch in a combination, then empty the waste, completing the natural cycle of growth, death, decomposition, and renewal.
Hailey Compost Bin Locations:
Albertsons
Atkinsons’ Market
Community Campus
Keefer Park
Hailey Post Office
Hailey City Hall
What Can You Compost?
Fruit and vegetable scraps, peelings, pits, and seeds
Eggshells and nutshells
Rice, pasta, cereal
Bread, pastries, cookies
Coffee grounds and coffee filters
Meat, fish, bones
Dairy products
Teabags
Cut or dried flowers
Paper napkins, paper towels, paper plates
Wooden coffee stirrers