The Composter Podcast

In this episode 8 of The Composter, I sit down with Justen Garrity from Veteran Compost and Caroline Barry from Closed Loop Partners for a wide-ranging conversation about where the composting industry is right now and where it’s headed next.
A big thread running through this conversation is Extended Producer Responsibility or EPR (no, I hadn’t heard of this before either!) and why it matters so much for composters to be part of these EPR policy discussions early and often. We dig into the realities of de-packaging, the challenges of scaling a composting business, and the mix of grants, loans, and other funding tools that can help move growth forward.
Justen Garrity founded Veteran Compost in 2010 after struggling to find work when he came back from Iraq. The tough job market turned out to be the perfect catalyst for starting up a Veteran run compost operation. Justen shares insights about the Veteran Compost operation in Maryland and Virginia. He’s also a shining example of compost policy activism.
Caroline Barry is Senior Program Manager at The Closed Loop Center for the Circular Economy, an innovation firm helping businesses solve their most pressing material challenges. She leads the Composting Consortium; an industry collaboration advancing U.S. composting infrastructure and recovery of food scraps & compostable packaging. In this chat Caroline brings a broad systems-level perspective on expanding food scrap composting infrastructure nationwide.
Check out Veteran Compost (👊) at https://www.veterancompost.com/
The Closed Loop Center's new website: https://closedloopcenter.com/
A link to the Composting Consortium's new EPR report: https://closedloopcenter.com/reports/designing-an-epr-framework-to-include-compostable-packaging-recovery
And here is a link to the webinar from Justen on Certified Compostable Products from NERC: https://www.nerc.org/certified-compostable-products--perspectives
Thank you to our Show sponsors:
Compost Systems of Austria: https://www.compost-systems.com/en
Agrilab Technologies: www.agrilabtech.com/podcast
And Closed Loop: https://closedloopcenter.com/
Merch:
https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html
Contact:
Host Jayne Merner can be reached at [email protected] or through instagram @composterpodcast

Today’s guest is Jeff Gage, Director of Consulting at Green Mountain Technologies and a Certified Composting Professional. One of the major themes of Season 4 is listening closely to deeply experienced composters, and Jeff fits that mold perfectly.
I’m finally learning that when it comes to these revered, long-time practitioners, the best thing to do is ditch my question script and let the stories unfold. That’s exactly what happened in this conversation.
We talk about Jeff’s background and dig into a wide range of real-world case studies — from turned aerated systems to managing water and oxygen, controlling odors, pile heights, adding air when you don’t have power, composting grape pomace, why is compost black and so much more.
Jeff was awarded the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award by the US Composting Council in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the composting industry over the past 40 years. I feel incredibly lucky to get to learn from a lifetime of experience in this episode, I hope you do too.
Check out Green Mountain Technology (👊) http://www.compostingtechnology.com
Jeff’s Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-gage-962b8730/
More links links from Jeff:
https://certificationsuscc.org/
https://tilthalliance.org/our-work/environmental-stewardship/
https://www.zoo.org/zoodoo
https://www.compostwashington.org/
Read your research (mentioned by Jeff): https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/ucsu20
Thank you to our Show sponsors:
Agrilab Technologies at www.agrilabtech.com/podcast
Viably at https://thinkviably.com/
Green Mountain Technology: visit Compostingtechnology.com and mention The Composter podcast for a free consultation

Merch:
https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html
Contact:
Host Jayne Merner can be reached at [email protected] or through instagram @composterpodcast

Did we hook you with the photo of Arnold Schwarzenegger and compost!? I hope so because you really want to hear about the less muscley but brilliant guy next to him who designed Arnold’s compost pilot project. In this episode we hear from Austrian engineer and entrepreneur Aurel Luebke from Compost Systems of Austria.
In this episode you will get a sense of how Aurel's thoughtful compost system designs stem from his background growing up around biodynamic farming, which if you're unfamiliar with Biodynamics its a type of organic farming that goes a bit deeper with one foundational element being that you treat the farm like a closed loop where the farm provides its own fertility. Combining that with an engineer’s mindset and a deep understanding of soil, makes for some very thoughtful compost system designs. In this episode we also talk about measuring odor units, my hot trick for getting compost stink off your boots, thoughts on the new 24 hour kitchen composters and oh yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Check out Compost Systems (👊) at www.compost-systems.com
And for anyone interested in cleaning farm smells off your boots, here is a link for the de-skunk dog shampoo Jayne mentions: https://www.wagnwash.com/categories/dog/supplies/grooming/de-skunk-odor-destroying-shampoo/1250?sku=736990000651
Thank you to our Show sponsors:
Compost Systems of Austria: https://www.compost-systems.com/en
And Agrilab Technologies at www.agrilabtech.com/podcast
Merch:
https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html
Contact:
Host Jayne Merner can be reached at [email protected] or through instagram @composterpodcast

Welcome to Season 4 episode 5 of the Composter. In this episode you get to meet Ryan Green from Happy Trash Can Curbside Composting in Bozeman, Montana. His experience working with the City of Bozeman, navigating public-private partnerships, and processing certified compostable products gives all of us a clearer view of what’s possible when collaboration actually works. There's plenty to be skepitical about when it comes to both composting bio plastics and the way municipalities have been outcompeting experienced, private composters with big grants and public money. But that doesn't have to be the way. Join Ryan to learn from the experiences that Happy Trash Can Curbside Composting has had getting contracts with the city, using bioplastics in his compost system and figuring out how to grow in a changing industry.
Check out Happy Compost (👊) on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/happytrashcompost/?hl=en
Thank you to our Show sponsors:
Green Mountain Technology: visit Compostingtechnology.com and mention The Composter podcast for a free consultation
More about BPI: https://bpiworld.org/
Information about the BPI summit and dates for 2026: https://informaconnect.com/bioprocessinternational/
AgriLab Technologies: www.agrilabtech.com/podcast
Merch:
https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html
Contact:
Host Jayne Merner can be reached at [email protected] or through instagram @composterpodcast

I first heard about Grupo Puntacana’s new composting initiative while reading a BioCycle article, and I’ve been eager to dig in ever since. Their journey, led by Jake Kheel, offers a fascinating model of sustainability, scale, and innovation in the Dominican Republic.
Grupo Puntacana isn’t just a resort—it’s a whole resort ecosystem: thousands of residences, multiple hotels, restaurants, golf courses, even their international airport. The amount of waste generated is huge, and plenty of that is organics. So when Jake and his team set out to reduce landfill, cut hauling costs, and improve guest experience, they had to get serious.
They’ve had a series of trials as they scaled up from vermicomposting to small in vessel systems to the newly installed Earth Flow composting system—an enclosed, automated setup from Green Mountain Technologies
Jake’s vision for Grupo Puntacana goes beyond just compost. He’s aiming for 70 to 80 percent landfill diversion across the resort and its surrounding operations—and more importantly, he’s helping reshape what sustainability in tourism can actually look like.
Check out BioCylce at Grupo Puntacana (👊) at https://www.biocycle.net/grupo-puntacana-resort-scales-up-organics-recycling/?utm_source=BioCycle+CONNECT&utm_campaign=e48755d671-CONNECT_250716&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-6c285218e8-513844463

Thank you to our Show sponsors:
Compost Systems of Austria: https://www.compost-systems.com/en
And Agrilab Technologies at www.agrilabtech.com/podcast

Merch:
https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html
Contact:
Host Jayne Merner can be reached at [email protected] or through instagram @composterpodcast