The Compost Kid: ‘I’ve Found a Way to Make My Own Impact’

Devin Milberg by one of his compost bins.

By Carol Tannenhauser

Composting — recycling food waste — is having a tough time catching on in New York City. In May, 2018, the city announced it was curtailing its curbside compost collection program, begun in 2013 under Mayor Bloomberg, because of the low participation rate, Gothamist reported. Of the 3.5 million people enrolled in the program, only 10.6% actually use the service, according to the Department of Sanitation. The city will be concentrating on increasing that rate, before expanding the program further.

Meanwhile, on the Upper West Side, a young entrepreneur has taken composting into his own hands. Devin Milberg, 17, is the CEO of 3Z Compost, which runs two early-morning compost drop-off sites, near the entrances to two highly trafficked UWS commuter subway stations, on 79th and 86th Streets and Broadway. The idea is that people can drop their compost off every morning on their way to work. It costs $1.

“The dollar charge is for convenience and allows us to maintain the bins and hire a private carter,” Devin explained, in a recent interview at the Starbucks on 88th and Broadway. “They take the food scraps to a farm in New Jersey or a compost processing facility in Queens, once a week. We opened our first site in March and our second in August of 2018. Right now, we’re collecting slightly over 64 gallons of food waste every week. That’s slightly less drop-offs than it costs us. I’m using some of my own money and my parents chipped in a little, because I also have to pay someone to run the sites when I’m at school. (Devin is a senior at Dalton.) The Church of St. Paul and St. Andrew, on West End and 86th, lets us store our bins there on off hours.”

WSR: How and why did a high school senior become the CEO of a compost collection company?

DM: One night, I was throwing out an especially large amount of food and I knew that I shouldn’t be. I knew that composting was incredibly important and good for the environment. Buildings have the option to compost their organic waste with the city, but many, including mine, opt not to, and bringing your compost to the farmers’ market on Sundays is really inconvenient. I started an entrepreneurial club at my school with the theme of environmental sustainability. In brainstorming environmental ventures, I thought, ‘What if there were a convenient way to compost?’” 3Z became my project.

WSR: Why is composting “incredibly important and good for the environment”?

DM: First, it keeps organic waste out of landfill. Second, composted food undergoes a much healthier process of decomposition. Food scraps in landfill have little access to oxygen, so instead of emitting CO2 as they decompose, food scraps in landfill release Methane gas. Methane is more that 20 times as potent as CO2 in terms of its greenhouse effect. Third, compost is used on farms to make the soil richer and healthier. This gives our food scraps a second purpose, putting them to work instead of to waste. Additionally, it decreases the need for synthetic fertilizers on farms, which both in production and use have negative effects on human health and the environment.

WSR: What does “3Z” stand for and how does it work?

DM: It stands for “three easy steps to composting”: (1) collect your food waste in any bag (Devin suggests storing it in the freezer overnight to avoid smells); (2) purchase a sticker at one of 3Z’s sites; (3) Affix the sticker to the bag and drop it into the bin on your way to work. We’re located on the northwest corner of Broadway and 86th Street, and the northwest corner of Broadway and 79th, both near the entrances to the downtown 1 train. We’re open from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m., Monday through Friday. We’re hoping to expand to other stations.

WSR: It’s obvious how 3Z Compost is helping the neighborhood — and the planet. How has it affected you?

DM: Especially as a younger kid, when you hear about global warming and other massive issues, it kind of feels like “What can I do as just one person?” I’ve found a way, at least for me, to make my own impact. When I learned about combining a viable business with a social mission, I realized a small group of people can accomplish a lot. I’m not so frightened about the future, because I’ve gotten a view into all these incredible people who are trying to attack problems in really creative ways. My goal is to make 3Z self-sustaining and hire someone to run it permanently. I believe, in the future, the city will be able to expand its composting program to the point where they’ll be able to do it at every building, just like recycling. I’m really hopeful. Just the speed at which humans can adapt and create new stuff is inspiring.