Nathan Bronk has been composting for as long as he can remember.

“I swear we have had the same cut-off milk jug at my parents’ house like since I was born,” he said.

A few years ago, he was part of starting a business, Duluth Compost, to make it easier for people to do what his family has always done.

“Duluth Compost is to help folks that want to compost but don’t have room in their backyard,” Bronk said, “or they’re just looking for that convenience of like similar to a trash or recycle service. You know, just put it out on your curb, and we come pick it up.”

It’s important to him that compostable waste is kept out of landfills.

“Around 30 percent of stuff that goes into the waste stream is actually compostable,” he said. “And if it does go to the landfill, it’s much worse for the environment because if it goes to a landfill, it releases methane, which is a much more toxic greenhouse gas.”

Bronk says a good rule of thumb is that if something is edible, it’s compostable. Duluth Compost can also take Biodegradable Products Institute-accepted compostable containers. He offers six-month or one-year subscriptions to his service. And he says you don’t need much other than a bucket and the right perspective.

“A lot of it is just mindset. You know, just being conscious of like, OK, this is compostable. It goes here,” he said. “We’ve been separating our garbage and our recycle for years. So just kind of getting used to doing that I think is the biggest step.”