#183: SiStained8: From Kitchen Scraps to Living Soil

About this episode

Najwa Womack discusses her journey in composting and its impact on urban environments.

Najwa Womack, founder of SiStained8 in Washington, D.C., traces her path from early nature moments to teaching compost as the art of growing soil. She defines composting in plain language, explains essentials like source-separated organics and feedstock, and tackles common myths about smell and time. Najwa connects kitchen scraps to city-scale solutions—cutting landfill methane, strengthening local soil and food, and reducing flood risk. She shares simple ways to begin at home, in schools, and with community drop-offs, outlines a vision for more three-bin and tumbler sites, and reflects on her work as a U.S. Composting Council Advocate of Compost, where national policy meets neighborhood impact.

People in this episode

Guest: Najwa Womack

Topics covered

• composting
• sustainability
• urban agriculture
• environmental impact

Keywords

• kitchen scraps
• living soil
• landfill methane
• community composting

Mentioned in this episode

Products: compost bins, three-bin systems, tumbler composters

Places: Washington, D.C.

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