Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Ryan.
Hi Michael, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
NewTerra Compost was founded by my partner Norm Lavoie and me. I spent decades in food service and grew up on a farm, and after becoming a father I felt a strong pull to do something that would benefit our environment. Norm brought a very different perspective. He served in the Army and National Guard and then moved into leadership roles at a large company.
Our wives are friends and we are from entrepreneurial families, so over the years we often swapped ideas about new ventures. When Norm returned from a year overseas we celebrated at his welcome home party and I shared my composting idea. From that moment on we combined our skills, my knowledge of food service operations and and Norm’s experience in logistics and management to build NewTerra Compost.
Since then we have grown steadily turning food waste into rich reusable soil while helping local businesses and residents close the loop on their organic waste.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has had its ups and downs. Entrepreneurship is challenging and industrial composting remains in its early stages so every community composter operates differently.
We face constant staffing issues and equipment breakdowns while striving to deliver exceptional service to our members. Finding a composter is hard and finding one that accepts food waste is even harder. Finding one that both hauls food waste and produces compost is rarer still. Add compostable product sales into the mix and you see how niche our industry is and how little support we receive from local or state agencies.
We battle the low cost of landfilling every day and work tirelessly to educate the public about what really happens to food buried in a landfill. A head of lettuce can last more than twenty five years under those conditions. Yet many restaurants and businesses built around food still opt out of composting. Because we are passionate about what we do it can be tough to hear no from foodservice operators day after day.
We’ve been impressed with NewTerra Compost, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
NewTerra Compost began in December 2020 when Norm and I saw an urgent need to keep food waste out of landfills even as the world dealt with a pandemic. From the very start our goal has been simple and clear: turn food residuals into rich living soil.
We collect organic waste from homes and a wide range of businesses including full service restaurants, fast casual eateries, school cafeterias, office kitchens, grocery stores and factories. If food is involved, we compost it.
Every week our team weighs each bin, empties it, gives it a quick rinse and replaces the liner so members can get back to business without missing a beat. Our prompt, reliable service has earned praise from members who tell us they love how quickly we respond whenever they reach out.
Mission focus drives our every decision. Norm’s military background instilled discipline and attention to detail that shows up in the quality of our finished compost. We take pride that our soil amendment meets the highest industry standards and that demand often exceeds what we can produce.
What truly sets us apart is our willingness to find a solution rather than say no. Even if you are outside our home zone in Chattanooga Tennessee we work to create special routes into Huntsville Alabama, Atlanta Georgia, Knoxville Tennessee or Birmingham Alabama. We have also partnered on zero waste events in Birmingham and South Carolina.
Beyond hauling we supply certified compostable products from vendors such as World Centric, EcoProducts, Biobag, Vegware and Better For All. We can even help with printed signage and training so our partners not only divert food scraps but also minimize single use plastics that could otherwise end up in a landfill.
At our core NewTerra Compost exists to close the loop on organic waste by returning nutrients to the earth. We believe the best way to grow stronger communities is one handful of soil at a time.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Composting takes real effort and is not waste hauling. We transform a critical feedstock into a valuable soil amendment instead of sending it to a landfill. The most important lesson I have learned is that our public education about waste barely exists. People need to understand that throwing something away does not make it disappear but simply moves it somewhere else on the planet. Better recycling begins with organics because it is the easiest form of recycling and can be done right in our own communities.
Pricing:
- Contact us for pricing
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.newterracompost.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/newterracompost?igsh=MW13Z3NjbDl0YzJxaA==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1AUJSfE3RF/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/newterra-compost/
- Other: https://substack.com/@thecompostking?r=55×545&utm_medium=ios
