How one Wichita man is working to revolutionize the city with sustainable practices
What started as a side project that others discouraged has now grown into an expanded operation that serves more than 300 Wichita customers and has diverted almost a quarter of a million pounds of waste in the past three years to the landfill.
Nudge Compost is a local sustainable-minded startup founded in mid-2018 by Jesse Marks, a Kansan who wanted to create a company that served a need with food issues and sustainability.
“I had a couple of people who told me that Wichita wasn’t ready for this and to not do it,” Marks said. “But, I was in a privileged position where this was a side gig and I wasn’t financially dependent on this as a full time job.”
Nudge Compost currently serves mostly residential, with a dozen restaurants, food trucks, coffee shops, and even a convent in the mix.
“I get people who ask, ‘Who even uses your service?’ and I say, ‘People who are worried about the environment, people who care about their plants and people who are just interested in it,” Marks said. “There’s all sorts for all different reasons.”
Nudge Compost does a weekly bucket exchange to pick people’s compostable goods and take them to Wichita Dirt company and compost them. Twice a year, subscribers can receive a free 30-pound bag of compost, or it can be donated to local schools or community gardens. Any extra is sold.
“We can’t make enough,” Marks said. “We run out every season.”
Based on the success and diverse interest in Nudge Compost, the company could be a blueprint for sustainable development throughout Wichita. As concerns about youth retention rise and demand for local action on climate change increase, Marks says he believes Wichita has a “huge opportunity to put ourselves on the map” as a city that cares about the environment.
“There’s lots of cool things that are happening and will happen, but you do have to search for them a little more than I would like, so a part of me is like, ‘Let’s amplify these things and diversify what Wichita is doing to promote more sustainability practices,’” Marks said. “There’s a lot of short-term things, but this is a brand building opportunity. Let’s be known for some of these forward-looking things an sustainability plans.”
Looking forward, Marks said he wants to expand their services to large organizations, such as universities like Wichita State, hospitals, apartment complexes, or schools where they can make the largest impact.
“Those would be huge, not just in terms of how much waste we would divert, but in terms of branding for both of us,” Marks said.
This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 5:01 AM.
