Our Story

The idea behind Compost-It first came about at the beginning of 2023, when four students at the University of Leeds entered the West Yorkshire Mayor’s Innovation Prize. After winning the 22-26 age category for the competition, two of the students, Husain Alogaily and Simrun Punjabi, decided to turn the conceptual idea into a practical venture that connected households to local growers, through an accessible, reliable, and efficient community composting scheme.

A pilot was launched in Roundhay, where food-waste was collected each week for free straight from residents’ doorsteps. We took the waste to local growers, who were able to save a lot of money by turning it into an environmentally-friendly compost, and all collection was done on foot with backpacks, strollers, and a cart. After a positive reception beyond anything we could have imagined, we expanded the scheme to three areas across Leeds.

As word got around and demand got higher for the service, we realised the need to make sure the work was financially sustainable, so we expanded our collection to include businesses as well. Wanting to avoid typical barriers to sustainable choices, we made sure that our service did not come at the cost of affordability and efficiency, and strived to create a service that was not just more sustainable, but also more efficient and reliable than the big recycling companies!

Our Vision

Compost-It aims to revoluntise food-waste recycling across the nation for businesses and households, providing unprecedented sustainability, efficiency, and education outcomes

Our Mission

To redirect business and household food-waste in Leeds away from landfill and incineration towards circular solutions, while creating educational awareness and empowering our local communities

Our Impact

4

Free Household Schemes set up across West Yorkshire

3900 kg

of food-waste redirected away from landfill and incineration

2422 kg

of CO2 equivalent emissions mitigated

5

Educational workshops delivered across the city

Meet the Team

  • Husain Alogaily

    FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR

  • Inioluwa Oluyemi

    HEAD OF DESIGN

  • Tilly Campbell

    BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

  • Connor Steele

    HEAD OF SEO

  • Niraj Sunil

    VOLUNTEER CO-ORDINATER