Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Dyer
Hi Natasha, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I had a career background in composting at the private sector and local government level. When my neighborhood urban farm wanted some help creating community composting, I stepped up to help. Soon I had a 3-bin composting system built on site at the farm and started a small residential/ restaurant/food business food scrap collection service to create compost on the farm. To date I have had (3) residential and (3) business customers and currently trying to scale up.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road is pretty smooth because I simply do what I can for the company and really approach it as a hobby that has potential to grow never doing more than I can. Now that it is pretty streamlined, I am looking to hire an employee that can do the collection, composting, and storytelling of the positive environmental impacts of diverting food waste from the landfill on our website and also to scale up. This will allow me to shift my focus entirely to my day job at a global NGO that works on the circular economy (expressly circularity in food, plastics, and textiles) that also brings me great joy.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a passionate and experienced leader in the field of sustainable materials management (SMM) and circular economy. I hold a Master of Arts degree in Urban Sustainability from Antioch University-Los Angeles and a certificate in Sustainable Global Food Systems from The University of Edinburgh. I am also a certified TRUE Advisor by the USGBC Georgia, which recognizes my knowledge and skills in implementing zero waste practices and policies.
I have worked in government or “government adjacent” roles for the last decade focusing on landfill diversion and circularity of materials. Currently, I work for WRAP–a global environmental action NGO that works with governments, businesses, and communities to transform society’s product and food systems into a circular economy: supporting sustainable production, consumption, and addressing waste–keeping it all circular. My role as a Senior Behaviour Change Specialist focuses on lessening wasted food at the household consumer level and at aiding the textiles industry to find circular solutions for clothing discards—making sure to divert valuable resources from landfills. In addition to my secular work, I am actively involved in my community as a volunteer educator on composting. I have also started a door-to-door food scraps collection company in the cities of Austell and Mableton, Georgia that creates compost for local farmers.
I love this work…I am VERY proud of my little tiny composting company that, with recent funding, is slated to scale up.
I am most proud of the work I do with a
Networking and finding a mentor can have such a positive impact on one’s life and career. Any advice?
If you are new to your passion/trying to find you lane, always find ways to do the work/network that leads you to a bit of volunteering/giving of your actual time. People will come to know and respect you for it.
Pricing:
- $45 month/weekly food scrap collection service
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.compostcowboys.com
- Instagram: @beyondzerowaste
