Nebraska Composting Education, Farm Outreach & Community Access.
Nebraska's soil and water are connected. Chemicals that go in the ground today show up in our drinking water decades later.
Hillside Fund is building a composting movement in Nebraska to help change that. Getting organic material onto farms. Getting composting into schools. Making it accessible to families who can't afford it.
Want in?
Nebraska has a nitrate problem. And it starts in the soil.
Nearly 33,000 Nebraskans drink water from wells with elevated nitrate levels. 17% of private wells sampled exceed safe limits. University of Nebraska Medical Center studies link higher nitrate levels to higher rates of pediatric cancers — and Nebraska now has the highest pediatric cancer rate west of Pennsylvania.
The primary source: excess nitrogen from synthetic fertilizers leaching into groundwater.
The Hillside Fund is a component fund of Midlands Community Foundation, a 501(c)(3) public charity. We’re building an equitable composting movement in Nebraska. We work alongside Hillside Solutions, Soil Dynamics, and Gretna Sanitation to turn food waste into organic fertilizer — and get it onto farms that need it.
Kitchen counter → compost facility → local farm → healthier soil → cleaner water. That’s the supply chain.
The Governor's Water Task Force has placed composting as a state priority. We’ve been building the infrastructure.
We're closing the loop between your kitchen and Nebraska's farms.
Two soybean fields. Planted the same day, right next to each other. One grown with synthetic fertilizers. One managed with natural soil-building practices.
Our beans had stronger, deeper root systems — with earthworms clinging to the roots. The neighbor's grew taller, but with more lodging and heavier insect damage. In a drought year, our field still produced 50 bushels.
This is what regeneration looks like.
Here's what it looks like when you stop beating the soil to death.
Supporting Hillside Solutions launch Omaha's first curbside composting service with education and providing funding to those that can’t afford it — get the service
Helping schools divert uneaten food from landfills and normalize composting among students — see the benefits
Working with rural and urban farmers to replace synthetic fertilizers with organic amendments — read about our plans
Shaping state policy — the Governor's Water Task Force report includes compost as a measurable soil health goal, and we helped build it — read the full story
What We're Working on Right Now
Hillside Fund is one part of a family of organizations working together to build a circular food system in Nebraska — from education, to collection, to composting, to soil, and back into the community.
Hillside Solutions — Zero-waste consulting and commercial waste management for businesses, schools, and organizations across the Greater Omaha area. Trash, recycling, composting, and glass recycling under one roof.
Soil Dynamics — Our composting farm in Ashland, Nebraska. This is where organic material becomes nutrient-dense compost, soil, and mulch — processing roughly 50,000 tons per year.
Gretna Sanitation — Our residential hauling brand serving homes across the Greater Omaha area with trash, recycling, and yard waste pickup.
Compost Club — Our residential composting program for 1,800+ Omaha households. Drop off at 60+ locations or get weekly curbside pickup. Your food scraps become soil, not landfill methane.
The Hillside Ecosystem
Nebraska Recycling Council gave Hillside Solutions and Soil Dynamics the “End Market of the Year” 2025 award.
Pick your role in this.
Compost With Us
Join 1,800+ Omaha households already composting. Drop off at 60+ locations or get weekly curbside pickup. Your food scraps go to local farms as organic fertilizer.
Support the Mission
Every dollar helps us expand composting access to schools, farms, and underserved communities. Fund farmer outreach, education programs, and the infrastructure to scale.
→ Donate
Get Involved
Volunteer at events, drop-off sites, and community programs. Or just learn more about what's happening on our farms.