At Huckleberry Farms, sustainability has always been a central part of our mission. The idea of moving toward a zero-waste operation is not only about caring for the land we work on, but also about reducing our footprint, improving efficiency, and embracing a more regenerative way of farming. While the concept sounds straightforward, the journey to minimizing waste on a farm can be full of challenges—especially when the enthusiasm to reuse and recycle leads to unexpected setbacks. Here’s a look at the steps we’ve taken to reduce farm waste, what worked, what didn’t, and how others can follow in our footsteps without going overboard.
Composting: The Easiest and Most Effective Way to Reduce Waste
When we first began looking at ways to reduce waste, composting was an obvious and easy place to start. The beauty of composting is in its simplicity. At its core, it’s about returning nutrients to the soil, closing the loop on waste, and feeding the land in a natural and sustainable way.
For us, composting starts in the kitchen, where we use two designated coffee cans. One can is reserved for used coffee grounds only, while the other is for food waste, paper towels, tissues, and even the occasional torn-up cardboard. Once the cans get full, they’re emptied into an old trash can with a lid on our back porch. After each emptying, we add a couple of handfuls of cardboard pieces to the trash can to keep things balanced. Weeds from the berry patch, flowerbeds, and around the roses also make their way into this can, layered with more cardboard.
When the porch trash can fills up, it’s then hauled out to our official compost bin—an open-sided wooden shipping crate we’ve repurposed and wrapped in hardware cloth. Once everything is transferred, we top it all off with wood chips to help it break down further. We also incorporate soiled rabbit bedding and, occasionally, some random scoops of rabbit manure to really kickstart the composting process.
By breaking down materials at each step of the way and layering them properly, we’ve found this system both easy to manage and highly effective. The result? Rich, fertile compost that improves our soil quality and significantly reduces the amount of waste we send to the landfill.
Tip for Other Farmers: Start small! You don’t need a fancy compost system to get going. Begin by designating an area for food scraps and livestock bedding, turn it every so often, and you’ll be well on your way to creating valuable compost for your farm or garden.
Reusing Materials: When Good Intentions Go Overboard
While composting has been a smooth and easy transition, reusing materials is where things started to get a little tricky. It’s easy to get excited about reducing waste by reusing everything you can—trust us, we’ve been there. But sometimes, good intentions can lead to overwhelming piles of materials, clutter, and even some questionable decisions when it comes to farm infrastructure.
One example? Pallets. My mom’s work had a seemingly endless supply of free pallets, so we started hauling them home regularly. Our initial thought was to build everything we could out of pallets, from coops to fencing. In the beginning, it worked because the pallets were free and we needed quick solutions for our growing farm. However, we quickly realized that pallet coops were far from predator-proof and definitely not weather-proof. Looking back, I’m not entirely sure how we managed to keep our birds safe 95% of the time. It wasn’t until we faced predator attacks and weather damage that we saw the limits of our “reusing” strategy.
Fencing was another story. We started with used chainlink from who knows where, and while it didn’t cost us anything, it didn’t exactly keep everything inside. On top of that, we tried using wire dog crates for rabbits, hog panels around the garden, and just about anything we could get our hands on to keep costs down.
In hindsight, while these quick fixes allowed us to get up and running, they came with longer-term challenges. We lost animals due to poorly constructed shelters, and what seemed like “reusing” often turned into creating more work and cost down the line.
What We’d Do Differently: While it’s important to reuse materials where possible, it’s equally important to prioritize safety and functionality. For instance, when we built our large coop, we sourced metal from an old barn that was being torn down. It was reused, yes, but also solid and predator-proof, giving us peace of mind. Reusing can be both resourceful and effective when done carefully.
Balancing Reuse and Practicality: Avoiding the Clutter Trap
One of the biggest lessons we’ve learned on our zero-waste journey is that there’s a fine line between reusing materials and accumulating unnecessary clutter. In the excitement of trying to reuse everything, I found myself saving cardboard boxes, plastic bottles, milk jugs, and more—thinking of all the ways they could be repurposed. Pizza boxes became weed barriers, milk jugs became planters, and juice containers turned into birdhouses.
But here’s the reality: sometimes you end up collecting faster than you can reuse. Before I knew it, our house was filled with stacks of cardboard, random plastic containers, and craft supplies for projects that never materialized. Eventually, it became overwhelming. We now break down and store the cardboard on the back porch instead of inside, and I’m much more selective about what I save. After all, even with the best intentions, there’s only so much one farm can repurpose.
Tip for Other Homesteaders: It’s okay to reuse, but don’t feel like you need to save everything. Be realistic about what you can actually repurpose and put to good use, and let go of the rest. Sometimes less is more when it comes to sustainability.
Final Thoughts: Finding the Balance in Zero Waste
The journey toward reducing farm waste has been full of lessons—some successful and others hard-earned. While composting has been the easiest and most rewarding way to reduce waste, reusing materials has taught us the importance of balance. We’ve learned that zero waste doesn’t mean keeping everything; it’s about being intentional with what you use and how you use it.
At the end of the day, the goal is to run a farm that not only produces healthy, sustainable food but does so in a way that minimizes waste and works in harmony with the land. We continue to strive for that balance every day, learning from both our successes and our mistakes.
If you’re looking to reduce waste on your own farm or homestead, our advice is simple: start small, observe what works, and don’t be afraid to adapt. Whether it’s composting, reusing materials, or finding creative solutions for everyday challenges, there’s always room to improve—and every little bit helps.
