5Q: Leo Pollock

 / PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO
/ PBN PHOTO/MICHAEL SALERNO

1How does The Compost Plant work?

The Compost Plant is positioning itself to be the first full-service commercial compost operation in Rhode Island. There are three parts to the business: food-waste collections, compost processing and sales of compost and custom soil blends. We offer a food-waste collection service and bring all material to Earth Care Farm in Charlestown for processing. We are also a bulk distributor for the farm’s soil products. The next phase involves the development of our own site for processing, where we will showcase a forced-air technology system for processing food waste.

2Who are some of your larger customers and why do they need this service?

Since April 2014, we have been providing a customized organic-waste hauling service for local universities, restaurants, institutions and schools. Our larger collection accounts include Brown University, Roger Williams University, Fidelity Investments, Seven Stars Bakery and the Providence Place mall.

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3 Are the compost customers primarily homeowners, or also businesses?

We currently only offer bulk delivery of compost from Earth Care Farm, so customers are primarily home gardeners. We also work directly with a number of landscape-design businesses in the Providence area to deliver compost for design installations.

4Where did the idea for the business begin?

The idea originated when I worked for the Southside Community Land Trust in Providence, an urban agriculture organization. It struck me [and co-founder Nat Harris] that Rhode Island’s local food sector was growing … but there was a limited supply of local soil and compost because of the lack of on-the-ground infrastructure. The state’s Central Landfill is projected to reach capacity in 20 to 25 years, so there are serious implications for future waste-disposal costs.

5You recently spoke at the TedxProvidence event. What was your focus?

My TEDx talk … focused on what can happen when we redefine what we think of as “waste.” We live in a state that’s seeing a growing agricultural sector dominated by small to midsize farms (most less than 10 acres) near urban/suburban areas. Small-scale, intensive agriculture requires a consistent supply of compost to keep soil and plants healthy. Yet the tons of food that we could be turning back into healthy soil is almost completely disconnected from our local food system. •

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