When it comes to composting education, we believe it’s about more than bins and food scraps. It’s about helping young people understand that their connection to the environment is meaningful and empowering, and that their actions can have a real impact. Throughout 2025, Big Reuse worked alongside schools, libraries, museums, and community partners across New York City to bring composting to life for kids of all ages, turning curiosity into action through hands-on learning, creativity, and play. Over the course of the year, Big Reuse engaged hundreds of young New Yorkers through interactive compost education that met kids where they’re at.
At Brooklyn Children’s Museum, children celebrated Tu Bishvat, the Jewish New Year for Trees, by exploring worms up close, coloring compost themed pages, and singing compost songs together. These playful experiences opened the door to deeper conversations about soil, food waste, and the natural systems beneath our feet, helping composting feel joyful and accessible rather than abstract.
In classrooms, composting education became even more tangible. Last fall, students from kindergarten through fifth grade at PS 185 Locke School of Arts and Engineering took part in a Carbon Sequestration and Seed Ball workshop. Through a simple visualization, they learned how plants capture carbon and why healthy soil matters, then put that knowledge into action by creating seed balls designed to help restore barren ground.
In Glendale, a fourth grade class explored why sorting food scraps matters and how compost supports the environment. When students met the worms that help break down food waste, they proudly gave them names, turning composting into something personal and memorable.
Composting education in 2025 also became intergenerational. As part of a partnership with Elizabeth Jennings School of Bold Explorers PS 456 and Greenspace on 4th, first grade students joined Greenspace volunteers for their first composting session under the theme Growing Systems. Together, they broke down food scraps, sifted compost, and learned about the critters that help build healthy soil. This marked the first of four sessions, giving students the chance to build understanding over time and see composting as an ongoing practice rooted in care and collaboration. They celebrated the end of their composting curriculum by designing costumes out of brown bags and rehearsing how to move like their chosen compost element.
Older students also found meaningful ways to connect with composting throughout the year. In 2025, high school students volunteered at Big Reuse’s compost site on Randall’s Island, often participating through school groups or clubs and earning community service hours. For many, it was their first time seeing what happens beyond the compost bin. Some students worked alongside the Build On program to help construct one of Big Reuse’s first compost windrows, gaining hands-on experience and seeing how food scraps are transformed into soil. These moments showed teens that composting is something they can actively take part in, and that their work has a visible impact.
Libraries became spaces for discovery and shared learning as well. During Compost Live with Big Reuse events in 2025 at Mill Basin Library and McKinley Park Library, kids gathered to sift compost, play critter dominoes, and ask thoughtful questions about where food scraps go and how they become soil. These relaxed, community-centered events gave families the chance to learn together and see composting as part of everyday life.
Looking back on 2025, these experiences reflect how compost education can spark curiosity, build confidence, and create lasting connections between young people and the environment. As Big Reuse moves into 2026, we carry these lessons forward, continuing to create spaces where kids can learn, explore, and feel proud of the role they play in caring for the city we all share.
Learn more about our composting program here.
Download free composting resources here, including a Field Guide to Hot Composting print and digital, and a Guide to Composting with Cubes.
Donate to Big Reuse’s community-based programs here.
Written by NYSERDA Fellow Tatiana Guerra