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 Rust Belt Riders in OH!
Rust Belt Riders is a composting service based in Cleveland OH. Biobag Associate spoke to Daniel Brown with Rust Belt Riders about the organization. Their interview is transcribed below.
What led you to start your composting operation?
Founded in 2014 by Michael Robinson and Daniel Brown, Rust Belt Riders began after toiling for more than two years on a pretty typical urban garden. The soil was highly compacted, denuded of nutrients, and this made growing herbs and vegetables a difficult proposition. When they weren't working on the garden their nights and weekends were spent at a farm-to-table restaurant. There they saw how even businesses with the best intentions did not have a viable alternative to landfills for their food waste. After raising some funds from friends and family members, Rust Belt Riders was born, convincing their boss to pay them a bit of money to haul and manage the food waste from the restaurant to nearby community gardens for composting.
Who do you serve and how can people get in touch with you if they want to start composting?
Rust Belt Riders serves businesses, organizations, and individuals all over Northeast Ohio. Clients can get in touch with us online, over social media, and regularly at community events and farmers markets where we are very active. Reach out to us today to start the conversation!
How much organic material do you typically take in on a weekly basis?
We collect around 50,000 pounds of food waste each and every week.
Feel free to add any additional information about your operation as you see fit.
We are a worker-owned cooperative dedicated to climate resilience, food autonomy, and workplace democracy. Our mission is to “Feed People, Not Landfills”.
We do this by providing people, organizations and businesses a composting solution for their food waste. This organic material is made into compost which serves as the base for our soil blends, that in turn nourishes the very food that we grow within our region.
This is our commitment to a circular, regional economy with roots firmly planted in solidarity, autonomy and connection.
We believe the work we do is as important as how we do it, practicing workplace democracy while engaging with this mission.
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