KC Can Compost

EcoRadio KC welcomes Kristan Chamberlain, Executive Director, and Heather Nevarez,  Director of Operations of KC Can Compost. KC Can Compost is an innovative social and environmental enterprise conceived by Shelter KC, a charity that provides homeless men and women with compassionate relief services, long-term recovery support, and green employment training. Together, they educate and employ once-homeless men and women, at a living wage, to collect organic waste from local area kitchens and divert it from the landfill for composting. Two goods, one solution. The average Kansas City resident produces 102 tons of garbage in a lifetime and up to 60% could be used to create soil instead of methane. By composting, people actively decrease our city’s methane production and contribute to a healthier Kansas City. Composting food waste puts nutrients back into the soil, so healthier food can be grown safely and efficiently. Because of its healthy microbial activity, compost serves as a potent fertilizer and natural pesticide - a sustainable alternative to chemical products.  Composting helps the soil retain water more efficiently which minimizes damaging runoff that contaminates our waterways and contributes to land erosion. Landfills are reaching capacity and contaminating our water and air with toxins in the…