From the Corner Store to the Compost Bin: BrightSide's Zero-Waste Commitment

A Monthly Reflection from BrightSide’s Executive Director, Justa Heinen-Kay

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. This is the mantra so many of us had ingrained while growing up. These days, “the three R’s” are more often referred to as “circularity.” Buzzier word, same sentiment: generating less waste, being efficient, finding ways to keep resources in circulation. All of these are things we take to heart at BrightSide. It is not only good for the planet, it also makes economic sense. 

At BrightSide, fresh produce is our specialty because it is healthy, sustainable, and one of the most difficult foods to access when budgets get tight. Yet, fresh produce is a textbook example of difficult inventory to manage. We’ve all had that experience of leaving bananas on the counter just one day too long to find them covered in brown spots. Or of finding a bell pepper in the back of the fridge that has gone wrinkly. The fact that fresh fruits and vegetables are so delicate is part of the very reason our services are needed.

This very challenge is at the heart of how we designed BrightSide operations. Our goal is to have zero food waste on our watch. We are moving produce 7 days a week, and we have a nearly constant conveyor belt of produce coming in and being distributed out to ensure our fresh produce is, well… fresh, for all of our stakeholders. But of course, we do wind up with overripe produce, mostly notably from our Corner Store Buyback program where we purchase back unsold, overripe produce from corner stores so they don’t lose money from stocking fresh produce. 

So what happens with all of that Buyback produce and items not suitable for distribution? This is another area where circularity comes into play. We make sure that no BrightSide produce winds up in a landfill. There are three possible outcomes for those spotty bananas, wrinkly peppers, and bruised apples:

1. DarkSide Snacks: We upcycle overripe produce into items like our dried fruit “Bites” line, Veggie Salts, and Banana Breads. 

2. Vermicompost: We partner with a Biology Lab at the University of St Thomas that uses worms to create compost from food scraps. The worms love eating old fruits and vegetables, and the vermicompost they generate is a highly nutritious soil amendment. This vermicompost has been used in first year Biology course labs. 

3. Industrial compost: Anything else that remains goes to an industrial compost facility. 

This past Wednesday, we brought that same spirit of circularity to the MidCity Farmers Market, where we celebrated waste reduction with the St Anthony Park Lending Library & Skillshare, Ramsey County Recycling Ambassadors, the University of St. Thomas Vermicomposting Team, and a great crowd of fellow efficiency enthusiasts. 

Thank you to everyone who stopped by, asked questions and picked up some DarkSide Snacks and local foods along the way. 

Inspired by circularity? You don’t have to wait for the next market to get in on it. DarkSide Snacks are available anytime through our Online Farmers Market add-ons, and MidCity Farmers Market runs weekly through the season if you want to catch us there next time.