Scrap Soils: Innovating with a Robotic Food Waste Collection Pilot Program
Scrap Soils is a Detroit-based nonprofit composting organization, focused on diverting food waste from landfills and transforming it into nutrient-rich compost. Scrap Soils partners with entities like Sanctuary Farms to promote sustainable food waste recovery, helping businesses and residents meet zero-waste goals. Its mission is to divert food waste from landfills, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a sustainable local food cycle through composting. In 2023, Scrap Soils piloted a robot program in the Transportation Innovation Zone with support from the city’s Office of Mobility Innovation. The program used an autonomous robot for food waste collection to explore more sustainable and efficient ways of managing and transporting waste. SBN Detroit talked to Scrap Soils co-founder Ricky Blanding about the pilot program, and composting in Detroit. Q: How did you develop the idea for Scrap Soils? What was the driving force behind it? A: I was working at the Whitney and also developing a deep interest in gardening. I began to recognize the immense value of composting in improving soil quality. At the same time, I noticed a significant issue with food waste — there was a clear gap between the waste generated and how it could be utilized productively. So the concept of Scrap Soils emerged from this realization. Composting can serve as a key tool in addressing food waste, turning it into something beneficial for the environment, businesses, and communities alike. Q: In what ways does composting help businesses and the community meet their zero-waste goals? A: Composting gives businesses a sustainable alternative for managing their food waste. Many companies are simply throwing food away because they may not have other options available to them, and what we aim to do is close that food loop. By offering businesses an opportunity to compost, we ensure that the resources they are using — and paying to dispose of — are put back into a healthier and more sustainable food system. This creates a more robust solution for food waste recovery and helps businesses and residents alike see the value in contributing to a circular economy. Q: What are some of the partnerships you’ve established with local businesses and other organizations? A: Our primary farm partner is Sanctuary Farms, and through that relationship, we’re looking at expanding partnerships with multiple farms to broaden our reach. We’re particularly focused on districts 4, 5, and 6 in Detroit. We’re also working closely with the West Village Business Association—West Village is where our home base is, and we want to be impactful in that community. Beyond that, we’ve partnered with The Schvitz, AAA, and Renaissance High School. Each of these partnerships helps us connect with different parts of the community to extend our mission of food waste recovery. We are still very new and see growth on the horizon. Q: How do you think getting businesses on board to compost contributes to Detroit’s broader sustainability efforts, particularly in terms of reducing the city’s waste footprint? A: First, composting will reduce the amount of food waste going to landfills by closing the food loop through composting. But beyond the practical aspects, there’s a larger goal of shifting the overall mindset within the community and the city. Our mission isn’t just about waste — it’s about inspiring people to care more about their environmental impact. When you get businesses and individuals thinking about closing the food loop and diverting food waste, they typically start to think about other ways in which they can address sustainability. Q: What educational initiatives are you implementing to inform the community about composting and sustainability? A: Education is key. This summer, we collaborated with Renaissance High School to run a summer cohort program, where a group of students helped us fundraise for Scraps Soils. They learned essential skills like grant writing, networking, and fundraising, as well as the broader importance of composting. It’s not just about teaching them how to compost—it’s about giving them ownership over the future of sustainability in Detroit. Q: Do you have data on the amount of food waste diverted from landfills through your composting services? A: During our pilot program, we successfully composted 11,000 pounds of food waste. While we’re still compiling numbers for 2024, we are steadily growing, and over the next 6 to 12 months, we expect to see even more progress. Currently, we have just under 50 members, but the trajectory is promising, and we’re expanding at a consistent pace. Q: How did the idea for using a robot to collect food waste come about, and what were the primary objectives of the pilot program? A: The concept of composting and mobility intersecting is interesting. Managing trucks for food waste collection is expensive and resource-heavy, so we began to wonder if there might be more efficient ways to transport food waste. Detroit is a leader in mobility innovation, so it seemed like the perfect place to test this. The pilot program has allowed us to gather data and see how technology could streamline food waste collection in the future. Q: What were the environmental benefits of replacing traditional waste collection methods with a robot in terms of reducing emissions? A: A clear benefit is the reduction in emissions by eliminating the need for traditional trucks and the people and resources required to operate them. The robot helped us centralize the movement of food waste, removing the middleman and making the process more autonomous. We’re still analyzing the full impact of the pilot program, but it’s clear that mobility innovations like this can play a role in creating a more sustainable system. Q: How do you see technology shaping the future of waste management and composting in Southeast Michigan? A: We’re constantly learning about the evolving nature of mobility and how it connects to waste management. Looking ahead, I envision diversifying the types of vehicles we use and where the food waste ultimately goes. The city has been very engaged in observing the impact of our program, and we’ve gained valuable insights into
Perspective on Eliminating Food Waste
DANIELLE TODD, IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MAKE FOOD NOT WASTE Landfilled food is one of the primary sources of climate change due to two main reasons. First, food decomposing in landfills emits methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Second, landfilled food represents a waste of land, water, and transportation resources that cannot be reclaimed. Given the substantial volume of food we send to landfills, methane emissions are skyrocketing and our resources are depleting at an alarming rate. Annually, Michiganders discard more than 2 billion pounds of food, resulting in approximately one-third of our landfills being composed of food waste. This excessive waste leads to the negative impacts of extreme weather such as flooding and power outages. It deteriorates air quality, threatens our food supply, and endangers vital plants and animals. Consequently, the State of Michigan, along with the U.S. government and the United Nations, has set a target to halve food waste by 2030. However, with 2 billion pounds of food still being landfilled annually, achieving this goal within six years presents a major challenge. Despite the fact that the problem is so great, eliminating food waste from our landfills is not all that difficult compared to other climate-related changes we need to make. Yes, it’s something we all must do, but it’s also something we all can do. According to the United Nations, more than half of the food waste comes from our homes. That means all of us can make a huge difference in this issue by changing how we handle food in our kitchens. For a fun way to get started, join our 7 Day Food Waste Challenge. You’ll learn the basics and begin to set up some habits that will drive down the amount of food you throw away. Of course, food waste happens outside of homes too. And if we’re going to reach the State’s goal in less than six years, we need a concerted plan. That’s why Make Food Not Waste has launched The 2030 Project, focusing on Southeast Michigan, the region with the highest population density. Concentrating efforts in this area is strategic, given that a larger population corresponds to greater amounts of waste. The project’s objective is to divert all food waste from landfills in the top 15 cities in the region. By collaborating with 17 local and national partners, Make Food Not Waste is crafting a detailed plan incorporating best practices in food waste reduction from across the country. The project’s approach underscores two critical principles: first, there is no singular solution to food waste. Second, we can only stop food waste by working together. While skeptics may argue that completely eliminating food waste from landfills is unattainable, we feel otherwise. It does not require the invention of groundbreaking technology or a defiance of natural laws. Rather, we simply need to stop throwing our food in the garbage. While establishing infrastructure, logistical frameworks, and educational programs pose challenges, they are not insurmountable. The alternative—continuing to waste our resources and make our planet hotter – is not something we can live with. Learn more at www.makefoodnotwaste.org. Be sure to subscribe to our newsletter for regular updates on sustainable business practices in and around Detroit.
