Since 2019, Zero Waste Houston has been helping residents and businesses turn their food scraps into nutrient-rich compost used in landscaping and gardens.

Company owner and The Woodlands resident Leo Brito said The Woodlands-based company's mission-driven business model not only keeps food waste out of landfills, but it also replaces chemical fertilizers with sustainable soil solutions.

“You're not just paying for the service for yourself; you are investing in solving the societal problems that we have, because I truly care about the state of the world and where we're at, and I want the absolute best for our country’s health, on every level, from the ecosystems down to the soil,” Brito said.

What you need to know

Brito said according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, approximately 62% of all materials that end up in landfills can be composted.

In addition to food waste pickup services, Zero Waste Houston also educates the community on the importance of being mindful of the environment and the way they discard materials from their consumption."It is a great service and falls in line with what [The Woodlands] founder, George Mitchell, envisioned for The Woodlands,” Brito said. “The Woodlands produces over 42 million pounds of organic waste per year. A waste of a local commodity. But we are not living up to that if we are sending all our waste to a landfill and not collecting it locally, processing it, and bringing it back into the community."

Shifting the community's mindset to how materials including food are discarded often requires a complete lifestyle change, Brito said.Brito said according to data collected from The Woodlands Township, out of 124,541 current residents in The Woodlands, each composting 345 pounds per year:

• 42.97 million pounds of landfill waste can be diverted
• 14.18 million pounds of compost can be created
• 111.71 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions can be prevented

How it works

The family-owned business operates from an office in The Woodlands along with two trucks and offers services to residential homes locally as well as commercial services to the Houston area and surrounding areas such as Huntsville and College Station.Zero Waste Houston uses the food waste picked up from residential homes and businesses, to create compost it uses for its landscaping services such as landscaping maintenance and plant nursery services.

In addition to its efforts to engage the community and promote environment consciousness with partnerships with organizations such as the Houston Zoo, WoodsEdge Church, Post Houston and Solid Waste Management, Zero Waste Houston launched the Houston School of Compost in 2025.

Through the school, Zero Waste Houston offers an interactive, two-part certification course to coach individuals through the process of hot composting, which speeds the decomposition process, according to its website.

• www.zerowastehoustontx.com