Budding food scrap pickup services across the US want your coffee grounds and eggshells

Every Monday, Ricky Blanding, the CEO of Scrap Soils, traverses the streets of Detroit with his Ford Ranger pickup truck collecting food scraps from porches and restaurants. Blanding's service aims to divert food waste from landfills, transforming it into compost that benefits gardens and urban farming initiatives. Composting food scraps, including coffee grounds, eggshells, and carrot tops, not only reduces methane emissions in landfills but also enriches soil with essential nutrients.

Detroit, a hub for food waste generation, has several homes and businesses signed up for Scrap Soils' weekly pickups. For instance, The Grand Porter restaurant, run by executive chef Lou Hammer, contributes egg scraps and cardboard to the service. The ease of the pickup service means that residents and businesses do not need to take extra steps to compost; the waste is simply placed in a designated green bag and picked up regularly.

With operations starting at $15 per month for homes and $60 per month or more for businesses, Scrap Soils is expanding its reach. Its ultimate goal is to purchase a larger truck and establish its own composting facility. Despite facing skepticism about its small team's ability to make a significant impact, Blanding emphasizes the importance of education and partnership in growing the service. Other cities, such as Denver, Nashville, and Atlanta, are also exploring similar composting initiatives.