We’re mining your scraps for carbon. 

We’re on a mission to show the world that unavoidable food scraps are powerhouse materials in the right hands. We minimise methane (a damaging greenhouse gas), shepherding long term carbon storage molecules into being instead, all while producing lovely compost for use on balconies and in gardens all over Canberra. Join us and change the face of composting, for greater climate impact.

  • Carefully considered climate impact: our well designed composters built from recycled hardwood are modest additions to the urban landscape but they are capable of mighty things - processing 6 tonnes of food waste per year while minimising methane and fostering greater soil carbon.

  • Small amounts of food waste from households and offices combine to give well-balanced and healthy compost heaps. We manage the hot composting process for enhanced microbial activity - this drives better environmental outcomes. It's a wonderful synergy that is only possible in cities when we work together.

  • Compost produced goes on to support healthy soils, for healthier plants and gardens. Saving up those banana peels and coffee grounds has many ripple effects that keep on giving!

Dr. Brook Clinton started Capital Scraps in late 2019, out of a desire to show the full climate benefits from high-efficiency composting:

"Many people, especially in Canberra, have experience with backyard composting. But backyard composting is not as easy as some make out. It's actually much more effective for us to combine resources across our community. That's when composting gets really interesting! Not only do the complex interactions between thousands of species literally heat up, the molecular transformations and the environmental outcomes that come from this enhanced activity are truly wondrous."

Dr. Clinton has the support of a dedicated team, and is forever grateful to the Inner North community of Canberra for supporting this super efficient urban composting. We're now looking to take this climate saving activity to other parts of Canberra, and share new knowledge about the benefits of composting wider still.

We're continually coming up with new ways that people can get involved, from saving scraps and subscribing to our pickup service, to occassional volunteering (we make leaf raking fun!), to community events. Watch this space or follow us on Facebook or Instragram to see the journey unfold.