www.dirt-works.org

Mission Statement

Dirt Works seeks to facilitate urban composting by collecting and transporting food refuse, improving the

sustainability and efficiency of cities.

The Dirt Works Team

Eathan Janney - Executive Director- 10+ yrs experience as a business owner- A background in science, pursuing PhD in Neuroscience- Volunteer experience with Working Bikes (Chicago) rebuilding and repurposing discarded bicycles Emily Osgood - Director of Operations- Experience with successful, local composting non-profit- A Master in Urban Planning with a focus on composting- Skilled at leading informational sessions for the public Christine Mladic - Director of Communications- Six years of communications experience in the non-profit and private sectors

The Problem

Current disposal of food refuse along with garbage in NYC is costly and environmentally damaging 88% of NYC residents surveyed by Dept. of Sanitation agreed “completely” or “somewhat” that organic waste recycling, or composting, should be considered Home composting in urban environmentnot always easy or feasible Access to composting initiatives in NYC presently limited to servicing residents with the time and the will to transport own food refuse

The Solution

Dirt Works offers an alternative to throwing food waste in the trash, composting at home, or carting it themselves to local sites Subscribers pay $7.50/week ($30/month), receive weekly food refuse pickup, use of bucket and weekly compostable bags Dirt Works employees use bicycles and vegetable oil vehicle to collect food refuse, transport it to local composting partner, Subscribers can feel good about redirecting 17% of weekly waste from the landfill to a system that sustains local gardens, trees and parks

Target Market

Our target market includes NYC residents who are interested in a sustainable solution for their food scraps. We will start with two pilot programs in the communities of (1) Ditmas Park/Parkville/Midwood, population160,000 and (2) Clinton Hill/Fort Greene,population125,000,in Brooklyn, NY.

The Competitive Landscape Small-scale operations: Vokashi, New York CompostLarge-scale operations: Action Environmental, IESIPublic programs: GrowNYC Small-scale operations too small to service numerous customers. Large-scale haulers focus on commercial pick up and residential market gets ignored. GrowNYC requires residents to transport own refuse on a specific day. Dirt Works offers the unique advantage of food refuse collection directly from homes. Subscribers are not required to transport their food refuse, and collection will not interfere with their schedules.

Pilot Programs We are preparing to launch two pilot programs. The first will be located in Ditmas Park/Parkville/Midwood, will focus on 1-4 family homes, and will involve our partner Compost for Brooklyn. Compost for Brooklyn is a community composting project and garden in Parkville, will manage the food scraps collected and be open for subscribers to visit and learn about the process. Our second pilot program will be located in Clinton Hill/Fort Greene, and will focus on food collection in a multi-unit building with 45 units. Possible local composting partners include the Brooklyn Botanic Garden.

Business Model - Subscribers will pay $7.50 per week ($30 a month) food refuse collection- Subscribers are supplied with a bucket and weekly compostable bucket liners - Dirt Works employees will receive $15/ hour- Dirt Works collects food refuse once a week from multi-unit buildings and 1-4 family homes using carting tricycles and vegetable-oil trucks- Through an internship program, interns will accompany employees for pickups, learn the logistics Dirt Works, and gain valuable skills related to business, environmental studies and urban planning- After collecting food refuse, Dirt Works delivers the material to community composting partners who prepare the refuse for composting - Dirt Works to utilize digital technologies to manage subscriber payments and pickup schedules

Financial Projections Estimated Sales or Revenue $125,610Estimated Gross Profit $125,610Estimated Operating Expenses Employees $81,861

Owner's Draw $4,203 Payroll Taxes $6,612 Supplies $837 Insurance $240 Rent $2,400 Advertising, Communications $1,800

Bookkeeping $1,800Office Expenses $300Repairs and Maintenance $1,200Miscellaneous $1,200Depreciation $3,300

Total Estimated Operating Expenses $105,754Estimated Net Profit or Loss $19,856

Financial Projections Explained - All of our revenue ($125,610) comes from customer subscription fees - By end of Year 1 we have 8 programs around NYC generating income- The executive team is paid a total of 64K yearly: $12K to the Executive - Director; $40K to the Director of Operations; $12K to the Director of Communications- Over the course of Year 1, amounts paid monthly to non-executive Dirt Works employees goes from $5,585 to $8,522 while monthly income rises from $1200 to $21,300; monthly employee expense does not rise as sharply as the income because adding customers to the same employee route does not require much additional time - Other expenses include storage space for vehicles ($200/mo) and other day to day operational expenses.

Requested Investment

We are requesting $50-100,000 of initial investment. $38,573 will be used in the first month for startup expenses, including delivery tricycles and a vegetable oil run vehicle. $11,443 - 61,443 will remain as a cash buffer.

www.dirt-works.org