From February 2-5, the USCC hosted its 34th Annual Conference and Trade Show, COMPOST2026, in Sacramento, California. The event brought over 1,500 members of the composting industry into the heart of the Golden State to connect, learn, innovate, and celebrate the hard work and great strides that the industry has made in the past year.
The conference commenced on Monday, Feb. 2, with seven workshops and a multi-site tour offering attendees invaluable insights into the world of composting. The day ended with the USCC’s Annual Members’ Meeting, where staff and committee leaders reported on the organization’s work and progress over the past year, followed by a ribbon cutting to open the conference in the Trade Show Hall. Over the course of the following two days, more than 94 speakers delivered presentations across 27 sessions, covering a diverse range of topics and featuring both prominent and emerging voices in the field.
In response to member feedback, COMPOST2026 strengthened its business-focused programming within a broad and diverse agenda that also covered technical operations, policy, research, community engagement, and innovation. The conference featured four sessions on compost business financing and growth, a workshop on facility financing, and introduced the USCC’s new Bank Loan Kit to help composters access capital and scale their operations.
The exhibit hall emerged as a hub of activity, drawing in a crowd eager to explore the latest products and services—and to snap a pic with Herm the Worm. To close out the programming in the SAFE Credit Union Convention Center, the Annual Awards Ceremony honored 11 deserving recipients, including industry veterans, Young Professionals, State Chapters, municipal agencies, and community composters, with prestigious USCC awards that highlighted the industry’s unwavering commitment to excellence and innovation.
The final day of the conference was the 2026 Equipment Demonstration Day, or as it’s affectionately called, Demo Day. Held at Recology Ostrom Organics, the event saw nearly 600 in attendance. Demo Day attendees viewed 40 pieces of equipment from about 20 brands, demonstrating the latest advancements in composting technology. The demonstrations included multiple USCC Demo Day debuts, including the Rotochopper L-II Horizontal Grinder and the Orkel Dens Compact Baler from Green Harvest Solutions.
Not only did COMPOST2026 provide the same level of high-quality conference programming as USCC’s regular attendees are used to, but this year also saw the success of multiple first-time initiatives for the event.
On Wednesday, Feb. 3, while most attendees were in the Convention Center, 10 industry operators headed out to the Demo Day site for a new event: the Pre-Demo Day Pit Stop. This event was created in direct response to feedback from industry operators about how the USCC can improve their conference experience. Many operators asked for the same thing: more dedicated, one-on-one time with equipment vendors. The Pre-Demo Day Pit Stop brought key composting industry operators and decision-makers for 1-on-1 time with equipment vendors, without the crowds of Demo Day, to foster deep conversations and help make crucial purchasing decisions.
On Thursday, February 5, the USCC Certification Commission offered an in-person opportunity to sit for the Certified Compost Operations Manager (CCOM)™ and Certified Composting Professional (CCP)™ exams. Applicants were required to complete and be approved through the full certification process prior to testing. While exams are typically administered at a testing center at a time convenient to the candidate, offering the exam during the Annual Conference provided added convenience for those already in attendance and supports the continued growth of the Certification Program.
This year also saw an expansion of accessibility initiatives for the USCC’s Annual Conference. The USCC Composting for All Committee fundraised for and organized two new rooms within the convention center: the Serenity Room, which served as a low-sensory space for attendees to decompress from the constant buzz of the conference, and the Health & Personal Wellness Rooms, private rooms where people could attend to personal health needs. Both of these spaces were enthusiastically utilized by attendees and will return in future years.
The Composting for All Committee also hosted the annual Conference Scholarship program, which has provided financial support for the cost of registration, travel, and housing since 2022. Scholarships grew exponentially this year—from 10 scholarships of $1,000 in 2025 to 29 scholarships of up to $1,500 at COMPOST2026. The growth of the scholarship program was made possible by generous support from the 11th Hour Project.
The effort put into the new initiatives seen at COMPOST2026, while also maintaining the same high-quality events of past years, shows the USCC’s commitment to growing and changing to meet the needs of a growing and changing industry. The US Composting Council thanks volunteers, attendees, speakers, moderators, sponsors, and exhibitors who collectively made COMPOST2026 a reality.
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