237: They Turn Restaurant Trash Into Food?! Compost Olympics happening October 10, 2026

Get ready to laugh, learn, and rethink what you call “waste.” 🌱♻️ In this episode of the Flora Funga Podcast, KK sits down with Aaron and Elliot from Brainplate Grows to explore their hilariously unconventional approach to composting, urban farming, and building a more resilient food system in Madison, Wisconsin. We dive into how they collect roughly 800 pounds of food scraps each week from local restaurants and transform them into living soil, their Bucket Farm Friends initiative bringing accessible grow kits into the community, the surprisingly fascinating world of soil microbes, and why bitter melon deserves way more attention. We also talk about hyperlocal food systems, turning unused urban spaces into places to grow food, creating stronger communities through biodiversity and mutual aid, and their wonderfully chaotic Compost Olympics happening October 10 at Troy Farm. Beneath all the jokes is a powerful idea: waste doesn’t have to be waste, healthy ecosystems depend on cooperation, and small local actions can create much bigger change.

All Links happening on Florafungapodcast.com