Compost NOW’s mission is to empower local residents to take collective action over the issue of food waste by making composting accessible for every person in New Orleans. Compost NOW offers free residential food waste collections across New Orleans and partners with local farms and gardens to turn the collected food scraps into nutrient rich compost or use it to feed farm animals. In addition, Compost NOW creates easy to use composting systems to encourage anyone who is willing and able to try composting at home. Composting is important for every community because it keeps unnecessary items out of landfills, helps reduce methane gas emissions, helps with water retention in our land and soil, and provides nutrient rich soil for gardening, farming, and agriculture.