Webinar Resources: Bike-Powered Food Scrap Collection — Spotlight on Equipment

On December 13th, ILSR hosted a webinar on bike-powered food scrap collectors. View the recording here!

These collectors are one of the fastest growing sectors of the food recovery industry. We’ve identified at least 18 operators in 11 U.S. states with many others interested in starting an enterprise.

The presenters covered:

• Equipment and supply needs including safety clothing
• Equipment options from buckets to bikes and trailers
• Bike security and storage
• The benefits of electric assist bikes
• Costs of equipment
• Lessons and tips from bike-powered haulers

Watch the recording to learn more!

This webinar is one in a series we offer to to share working models and tips for replication. View our webinar resources here.

Also see our 2017 article, Bike-Powered Food Scrap Collection, for links to bike haulers and the results of our nationwide survey of bike-powered food scrap collection service providers.

To join and learn more about the Community Composter Coalition, click here.

Presenters

Domingo Medina

Peels and Wheels Compost
New Haven, Conn.

Peels & Wheels Composting is a neighborhood-scale operation that used bikes and trailers to collect and compost food waste from residents, schools, and small businesses. Peels & Wheels Composting was created in partnership with New Haven Farms Inc. (a nonprofit that promotes health and community development through urban agriculture) with the shared understanding that transforming organic waste into compost for urban and rural farms and gardens is an opportunity to improve the quality of our air and soil, and grow more food for our community. Download his presentation here.

Jennifer Mastalerz

Bennett Compost
Philadelphia, Penn.

Bennett Compost picks up food scraps and other compostables from 2000+ households and businesses every week, keeping over 52 tons of material out of the landfill every month. In 2018, Jennifer Mastalerz joined Bennett Compost as an owner of the business. An architect by training, Jen had been composting since 2010. She first got her hands dirty composting with Philly Compost and then went on to start her own bike-powered composting business in Fishtown. The pedal collection component was her initiative. Its mission is to lessen the amount of carbon used for compost collections and bring more awareness to the feasibility of pedal powered businesses. Download her presentation here.

Kat Nigro

CompostNow
Raleigh, N.C.

Kat Nigro lives in Durham, N.C., and is the Head of Marketing & Engagement at CompostNow. CompostNow is a doorstep collection service who empower community members and businesses to divert their compostables from the landfill, and instead, use those nutrients to build healthy soil. She was previously the General Manager of Tilthy Rich Compost before they joined forces with CompostNow in 2017. Kat studied environmental science with a focus in soil science at the University of North Carolina. She’s passionate about healthy soil, community building, and intersectional feminism. Download her presentation here.