Our Year of Hope Vol. 2 - The Compost Kitchen

For the year of 2024, the team here at Fifty Shades Greener have decided to focus our energy and efforts into spotlighting small, community driven sustainability projects from anywhere in the world that are operating on a grass roots level.

The world of sustainability itself can often be perceived as a minefield. From the enormity of the climate crisis, CSRD regulations and measuring carbon emissions, the efforts being made on the field by individuals or groups can often get overshadowed.

However, we always say at FSG, that small actions do count, especially when being carried out by many. This blog series will endeavor to highlight those people or communities who are driving REAL action.

We hope their stories inspire you, and more importantly that they spark hope.

Our second story of hope for 2024 looks at The Compost Kitchen, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.

This company, was developed by Himkaar Singh, with the purpose of repairing South Africa's soil using compost made from food waste.  In 2017 SA suffered a bad drought, motivated to stop this natural disaster repeating in the future and worse, Himkaar studied a masters in water management and during a permaculture course learned that healing the soil meant putting organic matter back into the soil because organic matter makes the soil act like a sponge. The soil can then hold onto rainwater better and recharge our groundwater systems.

This planted the seed to start a business to get food waste back into the soil through composting.

One day they believe they can divert all South Africa's organic waste from the landfill so that it can be properly composted, and thereby become a valuable soil conditioner.  

During this journey, they aim to demonstrate Circular Economy thinking where the food waste problem is the solution for the soil problem, while educating that waste has value, so that other entrepreneurs can be inspired to create more composting solutions. 

It is time to stop paying to increase climate change by sending compostable items to the landfill. 

 Check out our interview with the CEO Himkaar Singh below

💡 Give us a brief description of yourself, who you are, what makes you tick? 

I'm Himkaar Singh, an environmental enthusiast and the founder of a composting service that aims to revolutionize how we handle organic waste. What really drives me is the belief that small, individual actions can collectively lead to significant environmental impacts. I'm passionate about water conservation, soil health, and finding sustainable solutions to contemporary environmental challenges.

💡 Tell us what your project is.

Our project, the composting service, is designed to make composting accessible and convenient for everyone. We collect organic waste from households and transform it into high-quality vermicompost, and then we give the vermicompost back to customer to use in their gardens. This not only diverts waste from landfills but also provides a natural, nutrient-rich soil conditioner to support local gardening and farming efforts.

💡 What motivated you to start this project?

The motivation behind this project stemmed from witnessing the severe drought in South Africa in 2017 and understanding the critical role of soil health in the water cycle. After studying Water Management in Germany and exploring permaculture in Jordan, I realized that improving soil health through composting could be a key solution to water scarcity and environmental degradation.

💡 What results have you achieved to date?

To date, we've successfully diverted tons of organic waste from landfills, converting it into vermicompost that enriches local soils. Our community has grown significantly, with hundreds of households participating in our composting program. We've seen gardens flourish and a tangible increase in environmental awareness within our community.

💡 What have been the benefits and challenges of the project?

The project has brought numerous benefits, including reducing landfill waste, enhancing soil health, and fostering a sense of community around sustainability. However, challenges have arisen, such as scaling the service to meet demand and educating the public about the importance of composting. Overcoming misconceptions about composting being inconvenient or smelly has been part of our journey.

💡 What would your main piece of advice be for other people looking to start projects to protect people or the planet?

For anyone looking to start a project to protect people or the planet, my main piece of advice would be to start small and stay committed. It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of environmental issues, but every small action counts. Focus on building a community around your project; collective action can drive significant change.

💡 What gives you hope?

What gives me hope is seeing the tangible results of our efforts and the growing awareness and involvement of our community. Every new household that joins our composting service, every garden that benefits from our compost, reaffirms that change is possible. Witnessing the younger generation's enthusiasm for protecting our planet especially inspires me to continue pushing for sustainable solutions.

Thank you, Himkaar, for your time and insight. We wish you the absolute best with your efforts and thank you for leading the way in positive change.

If you want to follow Our Year of Hope series sign up to our blog HERE

And if you want to learn more about sustainability for your personal life or for your workplace/ career please book a discovery call with one of our experts HERE 

Thank you for reading today.

The FSG Team. 💚