 | |
| Industry | Gardening, Recycling |
|---|---|
| Founder | Dan Blake |
| Headquarters | Provo, Utah |
| Website | ecoscraps.com |
Ecoscraps is an American consumer compost manufacturing and recycling company, founded in 2010 in Provo, Utah, which collects left-over fruit and vegetable scraps from grocery stores, stadiums, restaurants and other food producers, and turns them into lawn and garden care products.[1][2]
The company was created by Dan Blake while he was an undergraduate at Brigham Young University.[1][3] The company raised $1.5 million in 2012.[4][5]
History
editThe company was founded by Blake, a business student at BYU.[1] In 2009, Blake observed that an all-you-can eat breakfast buffet was throwing away large amounts of food.[6] He had previously worked as a missionary in Latin America, where composting from food scraps was commonplace.[7]
His first experiment to create compost from thrown away restaurant food, especially salty and fried food, was a failure, resulting in the quick death of plants.[8] After switching to fruits and vegetables, scientists at BYU's agriculture department assisted Blake in finding a combination of added nutrients to create viable compost.[1] Instead of the usual six to nine months to create viable compost, the formula allowed Ecoscraps to create compost in about three weeks.[3] The initial formula included adding sawdust, coffee grounds and, aerating the compost pile every three days, in order to create the correct carbon-to-nitrogen ratio.[1] The company also added micro-organisms to the mixture.[9] BYU lab tests showed that plants grown with Ecoscraps compost grew as large or larger than plants grown with chemical fertilizer.[8]
Blake paid for the launch of the company with $18,000 in personal savings and subsequently received $110,000 in business plan competitions and angel investments.[3] EcoScraps's business plan won second prize in BYU's Social Venture Competition. The company also received a grant from Sparkseed, a nonprofit fund that invests in social entrepreneurs.[8]
Blake and two other BYU students, Brandon Sargent and Craig Martineau, dropped out of BYU to run the company.[8]
Using Ecoscraps, stores dispose of their food waste, except meat and diary, at no cost, a waste hauling and landfill service that stores previously paid for.[4] Ecoscraps takes the waste from haulers for free or charges them a significantly lower cost than landfill dumping.[2]
In 2013, the company announced its product line would be available at 1700 Target stores around the country. The company said that they had recycled more than 15 million pounds of food scraps, preventing more than 9 million pounds of methane emissions, about the same as 850,000 autos taken off the street for two weeks.[10] Food waste generates around 8–9% of U.S. pollution, compared to 12% for cars.[4]
Target was quoted as saying that "no national brand that is bringing organic, sustainable lawn and garden products to consumers like EcoScraps" and that the brands growth validated a large consumer need for the product.[11] Aside from reducing food waste and methane gas, the product line is said to help with the problems of loss of fertile soil, toxic fertilizers and low nutrient foods.[11] A garden reviewer noted that Target was sending its own food waste to Ecoscraps for recycling.[12]
In a 2014 article, the author stated that each bag of Ecoscraps represents about 37 pounds of produce waste diverted from landfills and is the equivalent to not driving a car for two weeks.[13] In 2015, the company said it was processing more than 50 million pounds of food waste a year, including waste from Costco and Walmart.[14]
As of 2015, Ecoscraps was owned by Hawthorne Gardening Company, a subsidiary of the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company.[15]
The product was reviewed in 2016 an in article by Kevin Serai on Cool Hunting.[2][2]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e Wehrum, Kasey (May 2011). "How EcoScraps Turns Trash Into Treasure". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d Serai, Kevin (26 January 2016). "Ecoscraps Organic Potting Soils". Cool Hunting. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
- ^ a b c Alsever, Jennifer (27 September 2011). "EcoScraps' $1 million business built on trash". CNN Money. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ a b c Grant, Rebecca (25 July 2012). "EcoScraps makes millions getting stores to buy back their own garbage". Venture Beat. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Fehrenbacher, Katie (25 July 2015). "The latest venture play: composting". GigaOm. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Hernandez Sherwood, Christina (21 April 2012). "Entrepreneurs find cash in trash". Reuters. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Adams, Susan (3 August 2011). "All-Star Student Entrepreneurs: Garbage Into Gold". Forbes. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ a b c d Nielson, Lisa (2011). "Dumpsters, Dirt, and Dough". BYU Magazine. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Harvey, Christine (21 March 2011). "EcoScraps builds composting business in Tempe". Biz Journals. Retrieved 26 April 2016.
- ^ Gerush, Mary. "EcoScraps' Organic, Poop-Free Potting Soil Soon To Be Available Nationwide". Eat Drink Better. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ a b "EcoScraps Organic Potting Soil Now Available at Target". Earth911.coom. Earth 911. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Button, Kimberly. "Ecoscraps Organic Soils and Fertilizers Created From Food Waste". GetGreenBeWell.com. Get Green. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Gabriel, Wendy. "Reuse in the Garden with EcoScraps". recyclenation.com. Recycle Nation. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Kaufman, Noah (9 June 2015). "These Guys Are Taking Costco's Garbage and Using It to Help Grow Your Garden". FWx, Time Inc. Retrieved 4 May 2016.
- ^ Malone, JD (4 April 2015). "Scotts subsidiary buys hydroponics firm". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 26 April 2016.