Rust Belt Riders (RBR) has been serving the Northeast Ohio community since 2014 with a simple mission: feed people, not landfills. Did you know that as much as 40% of all the food grown in the United States will end up thrown away, and just a small fraction of this, ~7% will avoid landfills. When food enters landfills it squanders one of our most valuable resources, our food - our nourishment - our sustenance. Not only that, when food enters a landfill, it emits harmful greenhouse gases that accelerate and exacerbate the realities of climate change.
Rust Belt Riders works with businesses, organizations, and individuals all over Northeast Ohio to provide them with a clean, timely, and community benefiting alternative to landfills for their food waste. Whether you operate a food-based business, work in an office, or just simply make a pot of coffee in your apartment, Rust Belt Riders can develop a customized service that is right for you.
In the midst of the pandemic, Rust Belt Riders relocated their offices into the Campus District and are thrilled to be part of one of Cleveland’s fastest growing and most dynamic neighborhoods. With offices located at 2701 St. Clair Ave., they are excited to work hand-in-hand with the Campus District, its residents, and its businesses to make diverting food waste a more normal and ubiquitous practice in this, our Forest City.
In addition to their food waste hauling services, Rust Belt also launched, and is now growing, the arm of their organization that makes soils. Afterall, what better to do with all those food scraps than make compost which can help make growing more of our food locally even easier. Tilth Soil, the soil arm of RBR makes a line of soil products for growers of all types: home gardeners, house plant enthusiasts, professional farmers, and everywhere in between.
As COVID highlights just how flawed and broken our nations food system is Rust Belt Riders is quietly working on to fix, in some small way, this system for the better. They believe that if we are to truly value food, it should never be wasted. By composting this resource, we have a chance to repair our soils, reconnect with our food system, live healthier lives, and make meaningful strides in slowing our impact on the environment.
Want to learn more or get involved? Visit www.RustBeltRiders.com and follow them on Facebook & Instagram.