About Turn Compost

Turn makes composting easy. Since 2018, their subscription-based model has offered a solution for individuals, restaurants, and businesses in the Dallas area looking for a more sustainable way to dispose of their food waste. Turn has made sustainable living efforts more accessible to urban residents. Turn is increasingly involved in the community, not only by diverting food waste from landfills, but also by educating and consulting municipalities, schools, and other community members on sustainable food cycle practices.

Project Description & History

Reducing food waste with Turn is simple. First, select a subscription that aligns with your goals. Then, Turn will supply a Compost Starter Kit that includes a bucket, lid, and instructions for collecting food waste. Once the bucket is full, Turn will collect the food waste and transport it to partners that will recycle it responsibly. Turn will then supply a new, clean bin to start the process over. In addition to front-door pick-up service, Turn provides the option to drop off full buckets at various locations, including at select Whole Foods, in the Dallas area. Once the food scraps are processed into compost, Turn donates the finished product back to subscribers and community members. This cyclical model is at the core of Turn’s mission to reduce food waste and educate the community about sustainable food cycle practices.

Turn founder and CEO, Laura McMinn Clarke, began the company after witnessing first-hand how much food goes to waste. The United States wastes more than $160 billion in food each year and as much as 40% of the US food supply ends up in landfills. Clarke first launched Turn in a single, residential zip code in Dallas, using her marketing background and AgriLife Master Gardener status to propel the project forward. Turn has made an impact in the Dallas area, offering pick-up service to 35 zip codes, drop-off locations for those outside of their pick-up range, and collection of food waste from businesses, including a recent partnership with the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Community Impact

• Turn helps subscribers connect with their urban ecosystem and take steps toward zero-waste living. The act of collecting food waste leads to more conscious decisions regarding consumption and encourages lifestyle changes resulting in an overall reduction of waste, not just of food waste. Turn also provides subscribers with household metrics and impact reporting, making it easy to keep track of environmental returns.
• Classes offered by Turn educate on all features of the food cycle. Attendees are introduced to sustainable practices from growing food to cooking food and, finally, how best to dispose of waste. 
• Turn partners with community gardens and local farms in DFW for food scrap diversion and collaborative composting. Turn also supports community gardens, local farms and community organizations by donating finished compost soil seasonally.