If you are navigating California’s SB 1383 compliance or want to build sustainable community wealth, this newsletter is for you. SB 1383 mandates that every jurisdiction divert organic waste, recycle, and procure local products, or face fines ranging from $500 to $10,000 per day. However, rather than penalties, these funds can become powerful investments in creating jobs, ensuring food security, and restoring soil health.

I will help you understand what is happening locally and how compliance dollars can unlock real opportunities, rather than incurring costs.

I almost did not start this newsletter. During my MicroMBA class, my professor said, “If you want to know whether people really need what you offer, create a waitlist.” So I tried it.

At the Healthy Desert Healthy You summit, I asked 64 people directly: Yes or No, do you want this newsletter?
Sixty-one said yes. That was the clarity I needed. Here it is the first edition of The Compost Capitalist.

As a kid, capitalism was just a confusing label. I saw the rich and the poor, but did not understand the system behind it. While studying Mechanical Engineering, I still did not think deeply about it.

When I moved to the United States, started composting, and building my business, friends called me a “capitalist.” That word did not sit right. Were not capitalists just big corporations squeezing profits from people?

So, I went deeper. I read Adam Smith. Wrestled with Noam Chomsky. Discovered UC Berkeley’s Robert Reich’s Wealth & Poverty class and his Netflix film Saving Capitalism.

The more I learned, the clearer it became: capitalism itself is not bad. It is how we use it that matters.

I want capitalism as care: a system where making a profit means taking care of people, creating jobs, and strengthening communities.

Capitalism is just a system, not inherently good or bad. The real problem? When profits come at the expense of workers, communities, and the environment.

That is where composting offers a path forward: a business that builds wealth while restoring soil, food systems, and dignity.

Since 2021, I have helped launch 12 community composting sites, diverting over 650,000 pounds of organic waste from landfills and transforming it into compost that supports plant growth. Many of these sites are still running and feeding their communities.

The feedback? “Make this into a replicable model.”
I took that seriously, earning $269,000 from pitch competitions and grants to prove this model works.

Plenty of people have told me:
Composting should be a charity.
You should not charge to teach kids.
This should not be about business.

Here is my response: How can we change our communities if we expect free labor? If we ask people to work for free, how is that different from corporate exploitation?

The truth is: those who suffer are often asked to sacrifice the most.

I deeply respect nonprofits and those who selflessly contribute. But not everything has to be charity. There is a real entrepreneurial opportunity here—jobs, wealth, dignity.

I want to flip the script.
I want to prove you can make money doing the right thing.
I want to build a business where employees are treated like family.
I want composting to be more than compliance—I want it to be food security, local jobs, and community wealth.

That is what The Compost Capitalist is about.

Wondering where your city or county stands with SB 1383 compliance? Reply to this email. I will send you the latest status, and we can discuss how to turn those compliance dollars into tangible community investments.

I am building this from the ground up. If something here resonated with you or challenged your thoughts, please reply or follow me on LinkedIn or Instagram.

What is one thing you would like to see in future issues? Your feedback shapes the direction of The Compost Capitalist.

Until next time,
Prema Walker