The Composter Podcast

Produce Stickers: From Nemesis to Dialogue: A Conversation with Scott Howarth

In Episode 9 of The Composter, I sit down with Scott Howarth from the Sinclair Group, one of the largest manufactures of produce labels. We talk about how fruit stickers came to be, how labeling is evolving, what the future could hold for compostable produce labeling.Last September, I found myself in a friendly conversation with the stranger sitting next to me. We were chatting away when I suddenly realized that this stranger, Scott, played a role in developing what many composters consider their greatest nemesis: the fruit sticker. 40 billion stickers a year are made by the Sinclair Group, where Scott does Research and Development.For decades, I’ve been having imaginary conversations with Scott (although I didn’t know that was his name. So many compost gripe sessions over the last 15 years have circled back to those tiny little stickers. Finding them in finished compost. Trying, and usually failing, to teach people to remove them. Knowing there’s no practical way to screen them out once they’re in the system.So this episode really felt like a rare opportunity to sit down, ask the questions, and get to the root of it all.The future is looking bright and Sinclair is at the forefront of the upcoming positive changes. There is legislation in New Zealand and Europe which will ban the plastic fruit stickers. And some companies, like the kiwi company, Zespri are already choosing compostable stickers for their fruit. We are on the cusp of true change.This conversation left me thinking about how much better the world might be if we all had more chances to sit down for real, thoughtful conversations with the people behind the systems — especially the ones that create frustration and pain points in our daily lives. There’s so much that can shift when we move from assumptions to understanding.Before we dive in, I also want to say thank you to this episode’s sponsors, Green Mountain Technology, Agrilab Technologies and Compost Capital Network, for supporting this show and the work of composters everywhere.This is a conversation for every composter who’s ever pulled a sticker out of a lovingly finished pile of compost.Check out Sinclair (👊) at https://www.sinclair-intl.com/and here is a link to the YouTube clip Scott mentions: https://youtu.be/2zibNYAuHNcThank you to our Show sponsors:Green Mountain Technology: visit Compostingtechnology.com and mention The Composter podcast for a free consultationAgriLab Technologies: www.agrilabtech.com/podcastCompost Capital Network: https://www.compostcapital.com/Merch:https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.htmlContact:Host Jayne Merner can be reached at info@earthcarefarm.com or through instagram @composterpodcast

Veteran Compost and Closed Loop Partners on Capital Funding and EPR

In this episode 8 of The Composter, I sit down with Justen Garrity from Veteran Compost and Caroline Barry from Closed Loop Partners for a wide-ranging conversation about where the composting industry is right now and where it’s headed next.A big thread running through this conversation is Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR (no, I hadn’t heard of this before either!) and why it matters so much for composters to be part of these EPR policy discussions early and often. We dig into the realities of de-packaging, the challenges of scaling a composting business, and the mix of grants, loans, and other funding tools that can help move growth forward.Justen Garrity founded Veteran Compost in 2010 after struggling to find work when he came back from Iraq. The tough job market turned out to be the perfect catalyst for starting up a Veteran run compost operation. Justen shares insights about the Veteran Compost operation in Maryland and Virginia. He’s also a shining example of compost policy activism.Caroline Barry is Senior Program Manager at The Closed Loop Center for the Circular Economy, an innovation firm helping businesses solve their most pressing material challenges. She leads the Composting Consortium; an industry collaboration advancing U.S. composting infrastructure and recovery of food scraps & compostable packaging. In this chat Caroline brings a broad systems-level perspective on expanding food scrap composting infrastructure nationwide.Check out Veteran Compost (👊) at https://www.veterancompost.com/The Closed Loop Center's new website: https://closedloopcenter.com/A link to the Composting Consortium's new EPR report: https://closedloopcenter.com/reports/designing-an-epr-framework-to-include-compostable-packaging-recoveryAnd here is a link to the webinar from Justen on Certified Compostable Products from NERC: https://www.nerc.org/certified-compostable-products--perspectivesThank you to our Show sponsors:Compost Systems of Austria: https://www.compost-systems.com/enAgrilab Technologies: www.agrilabtech.com/podcastAnd Closed Loop: https://closedloopcenter.com/Merch:https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.htmlContact:Host Jayne Merner can be reached at info@earthcarefarm.com or through instagram @composterpodcast

40 Years of Compost Case Studies with Jeff Gage

Today’s guest is Jeff Gage, Director of Consulting at Green Mountain Technologies and a Certified Composting Professional. One of the major themes of Season 4 is listening closely to deeply experienced composters, and Jeff fits that mold perfectly.I’m finally learning that when it comes to these revered, long-time practitioners, the best thing to do is ditch my question script and let the stories unfold. That’s exactly what happened in this conversation.We talk about Jeff’s background and dig into a wide range of real-world case studies — from turned aerated systems to managing water and oxygen, controlling odors, pile heights, adding air when you don’t have power, composting grape pomace, why is compost black and so much more.Jeff was awarded the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award by the US Composting Council in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the composting industry over the past 40 years. I feel incredibly lucky to get to learn from a lifetime of experience in this episode, I hope you do too.Check out Green Mountain Technology (👊) http://www.compostingtechnology.comJeff’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-gage-962b8730/More links links from Jeff:https://certificationsuscc.org/https://tilthalliance.org/our-work/environmental-stewardship/https://www.zoo.org/zoodoohttps://www.compostwashington.org/Read your research (mentioned by Jeff): https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/ucsu20Thank you to our Show sponsors:Agrilab Technologies at www.agrilabtech.com/podcastViably at https://thinkviably.com/Green Mountain Technology: visit Compostingtechnology.com and mention The Composter podcast for a free consultationMerch:https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.htmlContact:Host Jayne Merner can be reached at info@earthcarefarm.com or through instagram @composterpodcast

Arnold Schwarzenegger! Composting Innovation in Austria with Aurel Luebke

Did we hook you with the photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger and compost!? I hope so because you really want to hear about the less muscley but brilliant guy next to him who designed Arnold’s compost pilot project. In this episode we hear from Austrian engineer and entrepreneur Aurel Luebke from Compost Systems of Austria.In this episode you will get a sense of how Aurel's thoughtful compost system designs stem from his background growing up around biodynamic farming, which if you're unfamiliar with Biodynamics its a type of organic farming that goes a bit deeper with one foundational element being that you treat the farm like a closed loop where the farm provides its own fertility. Combining that with an engineer’s mindset and a deep understanding of soil, makes for some very thoughtful compost system designs. In this episode we also talk about measuring odor units, my hot trick for getting compost stink off your boots, thoughts on the new 24 hour kitchen composters and oh yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger.Check out Compost Systems (👊) at www.compost-systems.comAnd for anyone interested in cleaning farm smells off your boots, here is a link for the de-skunk dog shampoo Jayne mentions: https://www.wagnwash.com/categories/dog/supplies/grooming/de-skunk-odor-destroying-shampoo/1250?sku=736990000651Thank you to our Show sponsors:Compost Systems of Austria: https://www.compost-systems.com/enAnd Agrilab Technologies at www.agrilabtech.com/podcastMerch:https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.htmlContact:Host Jayne Merner can be reached at info@earthcarefarm.com or through instagram @composterpodcast

Ryan Green from Happy Trash Can on Public Private Partnerships

Welcome to Season 4 episode 5 of the Composter. In this episode you get to meet Ryan Green from Happy Trash Can Curbside Composting in Bozeman, Montana. His experience working with the City of Bozeman, navigating public-private partnerships, and processing certified compostable products gives all of us a clearer view of what’s possible when collaboration actually works. There's plenty to be skepitical about when it comes to both composting bio plastics and the way municipalities have been outcompeting experienced, private composters with big grants and public money. But that doesn't have to be the way. Join Ryan to learn from the experiences that Happy Trash Can Curbside Composting has had getting contracts with the city, using bioplastics in his compost system and figuring out how to grow in a changing industry.Check out Happy Compost (👊) on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/happytrashcompost/?hl=enThank you to our Show sponsors:Green Mountain Technology: visit Compostingtechnology.com and mention The Composter podcast for a free consultationMore about BPI: https://bpiworld.org/Information about the BPI summit and dates for 2026: https://informaconnect.com/bioprocessinternational/AgriLab Technologies: www.agrilabtech.com/podcastMerch:https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.htmlContact:Host Jayne Merner can be reached at info@earthcarefarm.com or through instagram @composterpodcast