Navigating the Second, Third, and Fourth Lives of Organic “Wastes:” Circular Food Systems and Curbside Compost

Scrapdogs Community Compost

According to a 2011 study by the University of Maine, approximately 40% of Maine’s municipal solid waste (MSW) is compostable. What’s the best way to divert food waste currently disposed as MSW? How can curbside compost methods be successfully deployed in parts of rural Maine that don’t necessarily have the same density as cities or towns that have been able to experiment with compost at scale? Can mobile community compost methods be models for sustainability?

Davis Saltonstall and Tessa Rosenberry of ScrapDogs Community Compost present on curbside compost methodology in the midcoast and means of expanding their mission to tackle food waste while simultaneously building local food systems.

ScrapDogs Community Compost is a budding composting operation, founded with the goal of minimizing waste sent to landfill and closing the loop of production and consumption in midcoast Maine. Its founders Davis and Tessa are passionate about environmentally intelligent systems, and are working to encourage a happy, healthy, and resilient food and waste system.

Davis is a 2016 NYU grad. He’s worked for a solar company, a clean-tech incubator, a university office, and a local transfer station.

Tessa is also a 2016 NYU grad. She’s worked as a gardening educator, an assistant at a planning non-profit, and as a graphic designer.

Together they make the ScrapDogs team. When they’re not covered in food waste they enjoy hiking, swimming, and sailing.