Certification Requirements:

To become a Certified NYC Master Composter, participants need to create an account on Regpack via the Registration page. An important note if you access the site on a phone: the “Register” page will likely only show you the Regpack site; to view the list of other options and full web page, view the “Desktop Site” on your phone. (To do this, when you are on the website, go to the 3 dots in the corner and Select Desktop Site)

Completion of Seven (7) Workshops*, completed at one or more host sites:

• Compost in Context

• Intro to Composting

• Soil Health and Soil Science

• Caring for Soils

• Systems, Tools, and Scales

• Designing and Managing Community Compost Spaces

• Compost Advocacy & Community-Building

*It is strongly recommended (though not required) to take the workshops in the above order.

If you were in progress for certification in 2022/2023, you will see that the titles of the workshops have changed a bit. Please check the FAQs for more details on how workshops from the 2022/2023 program are integrated here.

Completion of Two (2) Field Trips

Make two guided visits to various sized compost sites throughout the five boroughs. Effective February 1, 2026: the two required Field Trips must be completed at different sites, register here.

Completion of Nine (9) Service Hours

Support compost-related activities at sites around the city. All volunteer activities need to be approved listings to count towards certification. If you'd like to volunteer with a site doing composting work that’s not listed on the website, please contact the course administrator at mastercomposteradmin@lesecologycenter.org.

You can dedicate all nine hours to one of the Tracks listed below and earn a Badge in that area or you can fulfill hours across the Tracks for a general service hours requirement fulfillment:

• Civic Engagement (includes tabling, community outreach and food scrap collection)

• Organics Processing (includes hands on organics processing, compost sifting and bagging)

• Stewardship (applying compost in order to improve urban ecology)

• Compost Infrastructure (includes building wooden, heavy duty plastic and metal bins, building sifters)

You can choose to complete more than one Track, however, a minimum of nine hours in each Track is required to receive that specific Badge.

Course Acknowledgements:

These must be signed/acknowledged in Regpack to be part of the course. Note that host site(s) may also have their own requirements.

Course Conduct Expectations:

• Participating in course activities and discussions

• Assisting with clean-up tasks as needed after classroom demonstrations, field trips, and volunteer activities

• Being open to learning from others in the classroom and in our communities

• Conducting oneself at all times in a manner that is respectful towards the people, organizations, property, and places that are part of the Master Composter Certificate Course

• Respecting others’ comfort levels around personal space and photo/video preferences

• Respecting other people’s comfort levels when it comes to handling the materials and living organisms that may be encountered in the field or passed around in classroom settings

• Showing no discrimination or harassment towards others with regards to, but not limited to, such factors as race, color, creed, religion, national or ethnic origin, citizenship, gender or gender identification, sexual orientation, age, veteran or military status, marital status, disability, or other personal characteristics. Harassment includes making derogatory remarks or jokes about such characteristics and other verbal, physical, and visual behavior

• In case of any issues during a Master Composter Certificate Course activity, alerting the course instructor or activity host on site immediately to avoid any escalation

Course Policies:

We understand unexpected things happen, which sometimes result in our dedicated participants missing events they have registered for. Please let us know in advance if you have to cancel, failure to do so will be considered a no-show. Repeated no-shows may result in being barred from attending future events.

Cancellation / No-Show:

• Please give ample notice in case you are no longer able to attend an event you’re registered for so that we may offer your slot to someone else.

• Failure to give notice will be considered a no-show for the event.

• Repeated no-shows may result in being barred from attending future events.

Lateness:

• Lateness may result in being denied course credit for and/or participation in a workshop/ field trip. In cases where you are denied course credit, you will need to retake the workshop/ field trip in order for it to count towards your certification.

• For volunteer events, you will only receive credit for the amount of time you are present for the activity.

Illness:

• If you are not feeling well, please refrain from attending any in-person event, and notify the course administrator at your earliest opportunity to avoid receiving a no-show.

Non-Registered Attendance:

• Registration is required to participate in all Master Composter Certificate Course events. We cannot guarantee your admittance to a Master Composter Certificate Course event if you aren’t registered for it. Failure to register may result in being denied course credit for and/or participation in the event.

Photo Release:

I grant to the organizers of the Course, its representatives, and employees the right to take photographs or videos of me and my property in connection with the above-identified subject. I authorize the LES Ecology Center (the course administrator), its assigns and transferees to copyright, use, and publish the same in print and/or electronically.

I agree that the event host(s) may use such photograph(s) or video(s) of me with or without my name and for any lawful purpose, including for example such purposes as social media, publicity, illustration, and website content.