Melissa Tashjian, founder of Compost Crusader
Intending to create and promote a culture of composting in Southeastern Wisconsin, Melissa Tashjian founded Compost Crusader in 2014. Her organization collects organic waste from area schools, homes, businesses and organizations, transporting it to composting sites, such as Blue Ribbon Organics in Caledonia, where the nutrient-rich soil conditioner is produced. Composting organic waste curbs the need for chemical fertilizers, improves the structure and consistency of soil, and reduces methane emissions from landfills. In 2017, Compost Crusader reported diverting 1,286 tons of material from Milwaukee landfills with the help of its partners. Off the Cuff spoke with Tashjian about Compost Crusader’s contract with the City of Milwaukee, its overall reach and her plans for the future.
How exactly does Compost Crusader work?
We look to create a culture around sustainability where we’re impacting all aspects of a neighborhood. We have a pilot program with the City of Milwaukee, so there are residents in Milwaukee that are now able to compost curbside. It’s kind of like a three-pronged approach. We’re going to the places where people learn. We’re going to the places where people work and we’re going to the places where people live, and that’s where we feel that we can really create a culture where we’re instilling a habit that will follow them wherever they go and it’s really simple. We utilize compostable bags and you pull the liner and take it to an outdoor receptacle. We look to mimic the existing infrastructure that people are familiar with when it comes to disposal, but we take it to a destination where it is recycled and made into a soil amendment that is called compost. We really try to work on what is called source separation education. We try to challenge people’s idea that they’re just throwing something away. No, you’re not. You’re putting it in a bin and that material is going to another destination.
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Can you tell me more about your contract with the City of Milwaukee?
We have a 500-resident curbside compost pilot with the City of Milwaukee and we also have a 100-resident composting pilot with the Village of Shorewood. The pilot with the City of Milwaukee started in November of 2016 and it was extended to November of 2018 with the same 500 residents. There’s been a lot of support from the Milwaukee Common Council with the idea and there’s actually public records of meetings of the city presenting the findings of the compost pilot to the common council. There were a few different council members that were like, “How do I get this in my neighborhood?” There’s a lot of really positive traction behind it and I think one of the reasons is because the City of Milwaukee has a goal to divert 40% of what is being sent to the landfill by 2020. Right now, food scraps make up about 25% of what is in our landfill.
What is your overall reach? How many schools, businesses and organizations are you currently working with?
We have 125 different organizations that we work with ranging from schools, florists, nonprofits, corporations, hospitals and restaurants. The only other thing I’d like to add related to cost is, if source separation is done correctly, you can usually reduce the cost related to your landfill. So, if you’re not filling up that landfill bin three times a week, it doesn’t need to get picked up three times a week. The savings from the landfill justifies the cost of the composting and that’s what we’ve seen with most of our customers.
Are there any changes or expansions you would like to make at Compost Crusader?
We’re looking at creating a curriculum and partnering up with a nonprofit that focuses on environmental education so that we can continue to expand our mission within schools. I really want to focus on the educational impact because the students are usually the ones assessing how much waste is really waste and how much material is actually going to be going to the landfill. Essentially, how much should be going into recycling and how much should be going to compost. Right now, at these schools, they’re just throwing everything in one bin, so it’s a great learning opportunity for them and we want to continue to do that. But being from a smaller crew, I really wanted to partner up with a nonprofit that has more experience creating curriculum. I’m not an educator—I love to talk about this topic, but I’m not an educator. We’re looking to improve that so that it’s not just a privilege for schools to be able to do this, but it’s a necessity.
To learn more about Compost Crusader, call 262-394-6075 or visit compostcrusader.com.
