Each month, we will highlight community heroes that are making a difference in their communities and working to make their local environments cleaner and healthier.
This month, we are taking a look at Neighborhood Compost in NJ!
Neighborhood Compost is a woman-owned residential and commercial compost pickup service, circular home shop, and regenerative farm rooted in New Jersey. Neighborhood Compost's CEO, Adison Evans, who is a Grammy-award-winning musician and former saxophonist to stars like Beyonce and JayZ, cultivated the company in 2020 utilizing her family farm. Biobag Associate spoke to Adison Evans with Neighborhood Compost about the organization. Their interview is transcribed below.
What led you to start your composting operation?
Having grown up around farms in the area, Evans witnessed firsthand the amount of food that was going to waste due to disrupted distribution chains at the onset of the pandemic. When food could've been used to feed communities, livestock, or even composted, it was going to landfill instead. Adison made it her goal to divert as much waste as possible from landfill.
Who do you serve and how can people get in touch with you if they want to start composting?
We service houses, apartment buildings, and townhouse communities in Hudson County, Bergen County, Morris County, Northern Somerset, Passaic, and Hunterdon Counties, New Jersey.
Check out https://www.neighborhoodcompost.com/residential-plans to sign up
How much organic material do you typically take in on a weekly basis?
Neighborhood Compost consistently rescues 1-2 tons of organic matter per week. The food scraps are used as feedstock for the many animals on their farm that all play a role in the circular ecosystem including goats, chickens, alpacas, and sheep. The remaining scraps are composted. Finished compost nourishes the farm's soil and cultivates healthy crops for the Garden State's communities.
Feel free to add any additional information about your operation as you see fit.
"We are proud to successfully close the loop between food disposal and cultivation all while educating our communities on reducing food waste, regenerative agriculture, and fostering a rich culture of community and sustainability at work and home." -Adison Evans
