Summary:

Welcome to another great episode of Startup Junkies!

On this episode, hosts Victoria Dickerson, Jeff Amerine, and Caleb Talley sit down with Ricky Ludeman, founder of Ozark Compost & Swap, an environmental protection organization on a mission to make composting mainstream. Ozark Compost & Swap makes composting convenient by offering pick-up services at your doorstep. Throughout this episode, Ricky discusses his entrepreneurial journey and how Ozark Compost has grown over the years from another idea to an actionable concept that promotes sustainability to the NWA community.

Show Notes:

(0:47) Introduction to Ricky

(2:17) About Ozark Compost

(7:22) Ricky’s Vision for the Future

(9:19) Supporting Local Businesses

(11:31) What Items Can and Can’t Be Composted

(15:21) Implementing New Processes

(20:23) Ozark Compost’s Marketing Strategy

(26:43) Advice to Younger Self

(29:41) Closing Question

Links:

Victoria Dickerson

Jeff Amerine

Caleb Talley

Ozark Compost & Swap

Quotes:

“They talk back and forth and the plant tells the microbes what it needs. The microbes bring exactly what the plant needs back to it and in exchange it gives it carbohydrates and sugars. So it’s this really cool relationship, and you get these really beautiful gardens with this worm casting.” – Ricky Ludeman, (5:06)

“There’s this quote that I love and it’s, ‘Either my business is growing or I’m growing.’ And I think it’s this really cool, positive way to look at entrepreneurship as it’s awesome when your business is growing, but when you get in some ruts, that just means you’re growing.” – Ricky Ludeman, (14:01)

“…when we talk about sustainability, there is this huge leadership aspect. Like let’s get the big leader in the community to help with this and show that they can do it and it’s easy. And that kind of trickles down with the employees and then the rest of the community. So businesses are a huge focus for us right now.” – Ricky Ludeman, (23:19)

Sustainable Composting in NWA with Ricky Ludeman of Ozark Compost and Swap

On this episode, hosts Victoria Dickerson, Jeff Amerine, and Caleb Talley sit down with Ricky Ludeman, founder of Ozark Compost & Swap, an environmental protection organization on a mission to make composting mainstream. Ozark Compost & Swap makes composting convenient by offering pick-up services at your doorstep. Throughout this episode, Ricky discusses his entrepreneurial journey and how Ozark Compost has grown over the years from another idea to an actionable concept that promotes sustainability to the NWA community.

The Composting Process

In an effort to create positive environmental impacts and preserve the beauty of the state, Ozark Compost & Swap provides Northwest Arkansas an approachable and residential compost pick-up service. Meaning it equips participants with a five gallon bucket in which they place all their compostable materials in. Then based on household needs, every week or bi-weekly, Ozark Compost will pick up the full bucket and replace it with an empty, clean one. Once the compost buckets are picked up, they are deposited into thermophilic piles, which are large traditional compost piles. 

The waste then sits in these piles for around four weeks where it starts to turn into a rich soil. Once this process is completed, the soil is fed to over one hundred thousand worms. The excrement castings these worms create administers a healthy soil amendment back into the earth as a nutritious additive for plants. After this process is concluded, and Ozark Compost has sifted through the soil amendment, the finished product is then redistributed back to the individuals who provided compost for pickup. 

“They talk back and forth and the plant tells the microbes what it needs. The microbes bring exactly what the plant needs back to it and in exchange it gives it carbohydrates and sugars. So it’s this really cool relationship and you get these really beautiful gardens with this worm casting.” – Ricky Ludeman, (5:06)

Promoting Sustainability

In addition to residential pickup, Ozark Compost also focuses on reducing household waste by partnering with local sustainable businesses to provide reusable products through the same swap program. For example, it’s partnered with Airship Coffee to give customers reusable canisters that can also be refilled at the same time their compost is picked up. Ozark Compost also offers this service with cleaning products due to the dispensers on its vans that carry household products like laundry detergent.

By targeting items used commonly in everyday life, Ozark Compost believes we can drastically divert waste from landfills, decrease greenhouse gasses, and improve soil health. By driving small changes in our homes, big impacts can be made, which is why its motto is act locally, think globally. Currently, Ozark Compost is continuing to promote storefront pickups in an effort to encourage not only residents, but businesses, to do their part in reducing our overall carbon footprint.

“…when we talk about sustainability, there is this huge leadership aspect. Like let’s get the big leader in the community to help with this and show that they can do it and it’s easy. And that kind of trickles down with the employees and then the rest of the community. So businesses are a huge focus for us right now.” – Ricky Ludeman, (23:19)

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