Founded
2017
Mission
We are a local family who are stewards of the environment working to keep food scraps out of landfills and making the world a better place for generations to come.
What They Do
- Office pickup
- Restaurant pickup
- Catered Event pickup
- Brewery pickup
- Home curbside pickup
- Cafe/Coffee Shop pickup
While climate change is a big topic in today’s society, one local Montgomery County business is taking action and making a difference in the local community.
Founded by Colleen Falicki in 2017, Back To Earth Compost Crew is bringing sustainability to the local area.
Falicki studied and started her career in communications. Falicki spent a number of years in the sales, real estate, and marketing fields. However, it was her passion for the environment that led her to start her own business.
“Once I had my kids, I decided that I really needed to do something that I’m passionate about and make a difference in their future,” Falicki said.
Since starting the company, she has expanded to serve Montgomery County and the surrounding counties. Back to Earth Compost Crew picks up food scraps from offices and restaurants and encourages an environmentally conscious work space.
30-40 percent of today’s food waste ends up in landfills, adding harmful methane gas to the environment. Instead, composting food waste can enrich and add moisture back into the soil.
“So much food waste goes to landfills and it’s so disheartening. Why can’t we just compost it?” she states.
In addition to picking up food waste at local companies and businesses, she also offers home pick-ups.
Falicki supplies each household with 5 gallon buckets with lids to dispose their food waste; pick-ups are weekly or bi-weekly.
Falicki educates her customers on the items that are compostable, such as corn cobs, egg shells, and tea bags. The full list of compostable items is available on the Back To Earth Compost Crew website.
Falicki has close to 100 pick-up locations, equating over 1,000 pounds of food waste a week to compost.
“It smells & it’s not glamorous in the least bit, but this is something that needs to be done” Falicki states.
For those interested in composting, Falicki also offers bags of compost and teaches them about the process.
“Compost is the best thing for your garden. It’s like black gold,” Falicki said.
Falicki offers the first month, including two pick-ups, for free for home pick-ups. For businesses, she provides a complimentary one week audit to analyze the amount of food waste they produce.
“People come back and continue the pick-ups because they realize they don’t want to put their food waste in the trash can,” she states.
Back to Earth Compost Crew is becoming a key member of the community. Falicki attends the Ambler farmer’s market to spread the word. She also hosts Lunch & Learns for companies, and talks to girl scout groups about the importance of caring for the environment.
“It’s having a passion for something and really taking action,” she said.
As the business continues to grow, Falicki is looking to add to her team. She is searching for an intern to assist in marketing efforts, and for additional staff members to help with pick-ups at local breweries.
Learn more about Back To Earth Compost Crew at their website.
