Composting: Where Food Waste Goes When It Can’t Go Anywhere Else

About this episode

This episode discusses the process and benefits of industrial composting with Brian Wonnacott from AltRoot.

This season, we’ve talked about rescuing surplus food, redistributing it to communities, and even turning it into clean energy. But what about the scraps, spoiled produce, bones, peels, and leftovers that can’t be saved? In this episode, Bri sits down with Brian Wonnacott, superintendent at AltRoot, a composting facility in Westlock that transforms organic waste into a valuable resource for local farms. Brian breaks down how industrial composting works, why microbes are the real stars of the show, and how composting helps reduce methane emissions, support regenerative agriculture, and build a truly circular local economy. Resources AltRoot’s End-to-End Tracability tool How to compost at home About the Podcast The What On EARTH Can We Do? podcast is a program of the Alberta Emerald Foundation (AEF), a registered charity dedicated to accelerating environmental excellence across Alberta. Learn more about the AEF Thank You to Our Sponsors Capital Power, Government of Alberta, the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta, Pathways Alliance, City of Edmonton, TD Friends of the Environment, and City of Calgary Disclaimer The views and opinions expressed by our guests do not…

People in this episode

Host: Bri

Guest: Brian Wonnacott

Topics covered

• composting
• food waste
• sustainability
• regenerative agriculture
• circular economy

Keywords

• composting
• food waste
• methane emissions
• microbes
• regenerative agriculture
• circular economy

Sponsors

Capital Power, Government of Alberta, Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta, Pathways Alliance, City of Edmonton, TD Friends of the Environment, City of Calgary

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: AltRoot, Alberta Emerald Foundation