The Northmavine Community Development Company (NCDC) will use their Catalyst Award to launch a new community composting scheme as part of its “Growing Local” programme to boost food resilience, reduce waste, and support sustainable living in rural Shetland.

Challenges of remote location result in many residents importing soil to the Islands at high financial and carbon cost, while organic waste is often underutilised or sent to landfill. Using an industrial composter generously gifted by COPE Ltd., local food and garden waste will be converted into nutrient-rich compost for households, schools, and businesses. This circular system will improve soil health, reduce landfill reliance, and transport emissions, and foster outdoor community participation.

The project will start at a social housing estate and expand to schools and local businesses. The group will test the balance of carbon-rich materials such as cardboard and tree prunings for optimal composting. The resulting compost quality will be compared with commercial alternatives using test plots. NCDC will also run workshops and develop a household composting toolkit to encourage participation and education around soil health and sustainable practices.

Through measuring compost production, waste diverted from landfills, and community engagement, the project aims to create a replicable model for other rural areas to inform future circular-economy initiatives.