Northshore Magazine

July 2012

Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.

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ne Composting Earth Brother U Compost King Conor Miller. Conor Miller's company, Black Earth Hauler, takes the pain out of composting. By John Gettings sing marketing ef- forts that are as about as organic as the stuff he hauls around, Conor Mill- er founded his compost pickup and delivery service in January 2011 by going door to door and inbox to inbox, eventually convincing a half-dozen restaurant owners in his home base of Gloucester to give Black Earth Hauler a try. He told them that if they were willing to separate their paper napkins and tow- els and the kitchen scraps, he'd sell them barrels and compostable bags, swing by once or twice a week to empty the barrels into his truck, and haul it all to Brick Ends Farm in Hamilton, where it would be converted into nutrient-rich soil—"black gold" to North Shore farmers. A year and a half later, the affable Mill- er has nearly 40 commercial clients, and twice a week his truck winds through 10 North Shore communities, backing up be- hind restaurants like Finz Seafood & Grill and Green Land Cafe in Salem and Cape Ann Brewing Company and Jim's Bagel and Bake Shoppe in Gloucester. But it's not just restaurants anymore; it's markets like Vidalia's in Beverly Farms and Milk & Honey Green Grocer in Salem, and Chive, a catering service in Beverly. The Man- chester-Essex school district's student "Green Team" and Gordon College are also regular stops on the route. Once considered impractical, skyrock- eting landfill "tipping" fees and hauling expenses, paired with ambitious waste- and pollution-reduction goals, have made 92 nshoremag.com July 2012 photographs by christopher churchill

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