Story in Brief
To increase composting awareness, UGA Cooperative Extension staff and Athens-Clarke County Recycling staff created the first Georgia Master Composter program to educate the public about ways in which they can compost kitchen and yard scraps. Volunteers from the program are required to volunteer in the community and help Extension staff reach additional clientele. The Athens-Clarke County Master Composter program is the first of its kind in Georgia. The first program was held in January 2012 and had 13 participants. These participants attended nine weeks of classes as well as two weekend field trips to backyard, farm and commercial composting facilities. During the last class, program participants gave a presentation to their classmates on a composting topic which was of particular interest to that student. Upon completion of the class, participants were required to volunteer 40 hours during the first year to graduate from the Georgia Master Composter program and 20 hours each year thereafter to maintain their active status.