Waste Farmers is a Denver-based company turning garbage into organic soil amendments and fertilizers. John-Paul Maxfield, the founder of Waste Farmers, began composting food scraps and yard waste in his garage and later expanded to a 6,000 sqft. “microbrewery” as the company grew.

Maxfield’s team collects food scraps from local restaurants. It also collects manure and other yard waste from area farms. The company uses this waste to produce organic soil conditioner, potting soil, compost tea and fertilizers.

Repurposing food scraps and other trash helps reduce the amount of garbage reaching landfills. It also helps produce some of the most nutrient-dense soil additives and compost. It’s a win-win situation.

The i4C Campaign, an organization honoring entrepreneurs impacting the community in a positive way, nominated Waste Farmers as a top 10 finalist for its 2012 Impact award. Three winners will receive $50,000, office space at Galvanize (producer of the i4C Campaign) and complimentary marketing throughout the i4C platform. The winners will be chosen on July 13.

The i4C Campaign created a three-episode video series (see below) highlighting Waste Farmers as a company and how it impacts the Denver area. It’s pretty interesting to see the process of turning trash into compost and soil additives. It’s easy to see how a company like Waste Farmers is impacting its community in a positive way.