PZW Specialist Spotlight - Jamie Brown

Jamie Brown has built a career around making waste diversion work in the real world. For more than 18 years, she has been a zero-waste expert, educator and consultant, helping businesses, schools and communities put their sustainability goals into action. Today she serves as a Project & Zero Waste Specialist (PZW) for Eco-Products, covering the Midwest region and working with foodservice operators, composters, haulers and distributors to create effective programs that last.

What sets Jamie apart is the breadth of her experience. She has launched commercial organics routes in Minnesota, diverted millions of pounds of material from landfills and managed partnerships that grew client bases by hundreds of accounts. She has also worked as a consultant to independent haulers, helping them build organics routes and strengthen recycling systems. Along the way, she earned a reputation for authenticity and trust. “People don’t view me as a salesperson,” she says. “They see me as a consultant who wants to help them succeed.”

At Eco-Products, Jamie uses that approach to build relationships with composters and operators across her territory. Her work ranges from hands-on waste sorts to high-level policy discussions. She often begins by sorting through trash with volunteers and green teams to establish a baseline. The results usually show that the majority of discarded material could be composted or recycled. From there she helps design practical steps, such as product choices, signage and staff training, that reduce contamination and keep waste loads from being rejected.

Her work with a small community college in Illinois is a case in point. The school’s composting program was struggling, with loads frequently turned away by the processor. Jamie traced the issue to product procurement, where look-alike items were being substituted that could not be composted. By correcting the purchasing process and aligning it directly with the composter’s needs, she helped the school get its diversion goals back on track. Today, their compost is accepted consistently, and the school is meeting its sustainability commitments.

Jamie is also proud of being recognized with the Sun Foundation’s “Making Waves Award” in 2024 for her work in central Illinois. She partnered with local businesses and schools to reduce waste and build programs that reflected the community’s growing demand for sustainable solutions.

A big part of her role is education. She knows that misconceptions about compostables remain common, from fears that they do not work to concerns about contamination. Her answer is to keep it simple. Clear signage with product images, consistent product lines and ongoing staff training can make a dramatic difference. “Education is often the small change that makes the biggest impact,” she says.

Jamie also sees herself as an advocate inside Eco-Products. She brings back insights from her work in the field to inform company strategy and ensure customers’ needs shape the support they receive.

“Our work is consultative,” she says. “We are regional advocates for the expansion of commercial composting, and that means understanding policy, infrastructure and customer needs all at once.”

Her career has had some unusual highlights, too. Years ago, while working with Eureka Recycling in Minneapolis, she helped manage waste diversion on the set of the Coen Brothers’ film A Serious Man. Her company even earned a credit in the closing scroll. She also laughs about some of the unexpected finds during waste sorts, including the day she pulled a desk out of a compost bin.

Through it all, Jamie has stayed motivated by the relationships she builds and the progress she sees. Customers often tell her they feel she truly cares about their business, and one even called her a “unicorn” for bringing empathy into a technical field. For Jamie, that feedback is as meaningful as any award.

“The looks on people’s faces when they see the difference they’re making is what keeps me going,” she says. “It feels good for them, and it feels good for me. Composting isn’t just about keeping food out of landfills. It’s about helping people see they are part of something bigger.”