Meet JD of Recycled City

This guy, he’s on another level. We’re obsessed with what JD has been able to accomplish in the Phoenix Valley, and think you will be too.

Hey JD! Who are you!

I'm the founder of Recycled City. Recycled City collects food waste from residential and commercial customers. Our service area is 1,200 square miles stretching from Queen Creek up to Peoria and Goodyear all the way up to Carefree. We compost the food waste we collect on our farm and we use the compost to grow vegetables that you can get in our farm boxes.

Can you tell us how you got started?

I started this business a little over 10 years ago. It was the idea from day one to have our own farm, to use the compost to grow the vegetables and to sell the vegetables.

I really wanted to be a small farmer then, I was really passionate about it because I saw the difference it could make for the environment and the community. But small farming is a very difficult business because it’s hard for small farmers to sell. So when I learned about food waste collection business, I said “aha, you know, that’s how I’m going to sell vegetables and it’s going to be a great distribution channel that I’m also getting other revenue from.”

Today, we grow seasonal produce, like vegetables, herbs, tomatoes, peppers. Every week we’re at the farmers market and customers can get farm boxes as well.

This model is eliminating food waste at every point in the supply chain. I’m buying 100% of what the farmer grows here, so we’re making steps to eliminate on farm food waste. The vegetables are harvested, packed and sent out from here, so we’re eliminating food waste from spoilage and damaged produce. And on the consumer side, we’re picking up their food waste. It all comes back to the farm and starts over again.

This is incredible. How’d you get inspired to get into farming in the first place?

I graduated with a finance degree. I wanted to be an investment banker. But it was 2009 and there were no jobs in finance. Then I found out ASU had started the first school of sustainability in the country that semester. I went to the counselor's office and they said that I only needed 18 credits to get a whole second bachelor’s degree.

And that's where I found my passion for agriculture. I learned about all the different sustainability issues with agriculture and how when you start putting all the pieces together, agriculture contributes to over 50% of greenhouse gas emissions.

So I started like a little garden in my backyard and I started collecting food waste. I really wanted to be a part of the solution

And now you are for thousands of people. Can you tell us more about how you manage this operation?

We like to say this model is de-risking small farming. With all of the revenue we get from food waste collection, we’re able to pay all the typical overhead costs of a small farm. We pay for the land, the water, the tractor, the implements, the seed. Basically, we pay for everything besides labor and we give the farm all the compost.

And then the farmer comes on to the property, utilizes all the resources for free to grow their crops, and then we buy 100% of what the farm grows.

What are some of the most rewarding parts about running R. City?

The most rewarding thing is when your employees like you. That is absolutely the best thing.

You know, I am a tough person to work for. So, typically, people who don't like my style don't stick around that long. And then the people that do are here for a really long time. Our first employee, Jesus, we hired him in 2017. And he's still working here. All the people here have pretty much been here years.

I really focus on my employees and making sure they're happy. We pay our drivers the most compared to other small bucket compost companies. I'm really proud about that.

And the people who work here are great. They’re intelligent, caring people. The job is kind of a mission in itself and really rewarding because you're doing something good every day. We're lucky to get really good people working for us.

And your customers love R. City too! Can you tell us why?

When you have such a simple solution, just throw your food waste into this bin, that is a relief for a lot of people who want to do the right thing. I think that’s why people really like our business so much, it's just as easy as throwing food in the trash can.

And how did your partnership with Mill come about?

When I first met with Harry and the business team, I fell in love right away. I was really giddy, because it’s such a great idea.

You know, people are scared of food waste. I’ve seen it for 10 years. You talk about food waste an people instantly start thinking of problems. I really believe in Mill as a solution.

How do R. City and Mill work together?

You get your Mill bin and R. City buckets delivered to you. A typical family is going to take two to three weeks to fill their Mill bin and then they can empty it at least two times into the R. City bucket, which we’ll pick up once a month.

Then all of the stuff we collect from homes comes to our farm, gets composted and used to grow vegetables. And if someone wants those vegetables, they can sign up for a farm box.

Why do you think people like using Mill x R. City in particular?

A lot of people sign up as the superhero of the household. They’re kind of the only ones doing it and it’s all on them. With the Mill, you get everybody participating in the household because you just put your foot on the pedal, the bin opens, and everyone can participate. That really makes the superhero in the family a lot happier.

Even with somebody like me, I'm diverting more food waste at my household now that we have a Mill because it is so much easier to divert the food waste.