About Torus

Our Vision

Our mission at Torus is to make composting accessible, convenient, and easy for all in New Jersey. By scaling our operations and expanding our reach, we aim to take strides towards eliminating food waste through a sustainable, environmentally friendly solution that empowers individuals and businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and build a cleaner future— together. Eventually, we imagine a future where composting is the norm: a daily, recurring habit.

Who We Are

Collect. Compost. Connect.

Torus is dedicated to reducing food waste and promoting sustainability through accessible composting services. Founded in late 2023 by Lawrenceville students Zikang, Anthony, Matthew, and David, our organization aims to revolutionize waste management in New Jersey.

Torus team gathered around a bucket display at an event

Our Journey So Far

From a student idea
to a statewide model.

Late 2023
Torus is Founded
Torus was founded in West Windsor, NJ by Lawrenceville students Zikang, Anthony, Matthew, and David, driven by a shared passion for reducing food waste and promoting sustainability in New Jersey.
March 2024
Scaling Local Impact
Torus expands to 100+ houses across Central New Jersey, recruiting a team of 10+ active members.
November 2024
Reaching More Houses and Businesses
Torus publishes research on the fundamental causes of food waste, better optimizing our program to service 250+ houses in the region.
May 2025
Legislative Advocacy
Torus begins taking action in legislation, working together with Share My Meals and the NJ League of Conservation Voters to pass House Bill A4118 and Senate Bill S203 in collaboration with members of the West Windsor Township Council.
June 2025
Financial Stability
Torus secures new avenues of revenue, earning many grants and awards supported by Cocovibe, The Lawrenceville School, and more. Begins looking towards future expansion plans.
July 2026
Larger Institutional Backing
Torus secures larger institutional backing, driven by the Clif Family Foundation alongside partners like Google, Walmart, and PSE&G. This support strengthens our foundation and accelerates plans to bring free composting to more communities across New Jersey.
Current
Building a Statewide Movement
Torus continues to expand across the state, actively recruiting volunteers and leading sales teams to increase presence and awareness.

Our Impact

Building a statewide model
for free composting.

1,000+households and local businesses served

300,000+pounds of food waste collected

1,140,000+pounds of CO2e emissions prevented

19+cities served across New Jersey

Starting in Central New Jersey, Torus is building a statewide model for free, convenient composting that keeps food waste out of landfills and turns scraps into a resource. Since launching in late 2023, we have served 1,000+ households and local businesses and collected more than 300,000 pounds of food waste through simple bucket-based participation. That diversion has already prevented over 1,140,000 pounds of CO2e emissions, reducing methane-generating landfill disposal and shrinking the carbon footprint of everyday meals. We track what we collect, share clear guidance on what is accepted, and focus on consistent, repeatable service that families can maintain week after week.

Torus volunteers connecting with families at West Windsor Community Day, next to compost buckets

Anthony Woo presenting Torus to the Franklin Township environmental commission

Our Advocacy

Pushing for change,
starting at home.

Advocacy is a core part of what we do at Torus. We’re working to make composting more accessible across New Jersey, starting in our own town. Right now, we’re collaborating with West Windsor Township officials to create the town’s first public compost drop-off site.

We also focus on statewide change. We support bills like A4118 and S203, which set targets for reducing organic waste in landfills and would expand composting infrastructure. Our team meets with municipal leaders, testifies at public meetings, and works with partners like Share My Meals and the NJ League of Conservation Voters to push these efforts forward.

And we want other young people to get involved too. We created a short film about students driving civic change, made possible by a Hutchins Student Civic Media Grant from the Hutchins Center for Civics at The Lawrenceville School.

Read our full proposal

Our Research

Studying the roots of food waste.

Exploring Fundamental Causes of Food Waste and Direct Donations through Analyzing Existing Solutions and Discrete Event Simulations

Zikang Jiang, Anthony Woo, David Chen, Matthew Gao

Food Loss and Waste (FLW), colloquially termed food waste, represents a significant problem in the United States. Despite substantial investments in technical and organizational solutions for waste in the different stages of the Food Supply Chain (FSC), the problem persists. This paper explores existing organizations that have impacted a significant portion of the FSC and other solutions that have been limited in scale to identify key elements of mass adoption. A Discrete Event Simulation modeling Direct Donations (a novel method of donating edible FLW directly to the person in need) explores how its combination with food banks may allow donations, instead of composting or landfills, to become the default use case for edible FLW.

Keywords: Food Waste, Information Flow, Resource Allocation, Supply and Demand, Optimization, Food Donation, Food Banks

Read the full paper

Meet Our Team

The leaders behind Torus.

Matthew Gao

Co-founder and CEO

Anthony Woo

Co-founder and CFO

David Chen

Co-founder and CMO

Zikang Jiang

Director

Our Vision

Collect. Compost. Connect.

From a student idea to a statewide model.

Torus is Founded

Scaling Local Impact

Reaching More Houses and Businesses

Legislative Advocacy

Financial Stability

Larger Institutional Backing

Building a Statewide Movement

Building a statewide model for free composting.

Pushing for change, starting at home.