


In addition to teaching extensively in the US, he has taught composting and lectured in China, Brazil, Canada, and Australia. He co-developed and teaches the Foundations of Composting Course and is a lead instructor for the USCC's Compost Operator Training Course. He is the main author of SWANA's Managing Composting Programs course, SWANA's course on Organics Collection and the organics chapter of the SWANA/CRRA Zero Waste Course. He has published research on compost odors, compost use, climate impacts, compostable plastics, and compost facility infrastructure. Cotton served on the Board of Directors of the US Composting Council for almost two decades, including three terms as president, and also serves on the Board of Californians Against Waste. Cotton has completed hundreds of significant organics projects, including permitting and assisting in the development of some of the major composting facilities in California. He has served as a consultant, educator, researcher, and advocate for new and expanded organics recycling and composting programs in California and beyond. Matthew Cotton has worked in organics and solid waste management since 1986. As the leader of the organization, this has stability implications as evidenced by over four decades of business success. He has consulted with the Alameda County Stop Waste agency for Green Business program development and is fanatical about organizational and procedural details and training programs. Tom has participated in public speaking engagements for recycled organics, irrigation water conservation and Green Business concepts. Vision Recycling processes close to 200,000 tons of feedstock annually. This minimizes trucks on the road and keeps the material in the soils from which they came. Here, his team takes organic material (Green Waste, Yard Trimmings & Food Scraps) and transforms the finished product into compost, wood chips, mulch, and soil amendments while valuing a localized approach to green waste recycling.

In 1993, Tom founded Vision Recycling, a separate organic recycling-company and compost producer in the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas that provides mobile grinding services, turn-key operations, hauling capabilities, and solutions for recycling challenges. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science, Business Administration from Cal State Hayward 1978, and he has years of experience as a Compost Facilities Operator, a green waste recycler and a Certified Landscape Professional. Tom Del Conte founded Del Conte’s Landscaping in 1972, taking on small projects to put himself through college.
