From potato peels and wilted lettuce to coffee grounds and apple cores — not to mention all the leftovers scraped into the garbage — Americans throw away plenty of food.

In fact, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates that more than 25 percent of the food we prepare gets pitched.

Those numbers mean business for Conner Burt, who has launched a pick-up service for compostable kitchen waste.

A junior at Butler University, Burt, 20, developed the idea for his business, Back to Earth Compost, in a class he took last year called “A Real Business Experience.”

Burt’s concept won approval and funding, and this semester he launched the company. For the business major who has a minor in biology, a composting company “is kind of right up my alley,” he said.

Burt and Butler’s Center for Urban Ecology are studying the feasibility of a campus composting initiative. But his company also serves customers off campus as well.

Back to Earth Compost offers weekly pickup of compostable material, such as food scraps and yard waste, for nearby homeowners and businesses in the Broad Ripple area.

The service, which continues into December, costs $5 a week. Burt said each customer is given a lidded bucket with a biodegradable liner in which to stash compostable waste. At the end of every week, employees of Back to Earth collect each customer’s waste, clean the bucket and install a fresh liner.

“It’s a hassle-free way to make an environmentally conscious decision,” said Burt.

The compost pile is on the Butler campus. Next spring, customers will receive a share of the compost to use in their gardens and flower beds.

“We’re hoping to give them at least a 20- to 60-pound bag,” Burt said.

For information, contact Burt at (574) 596-5701 or at cburt@butler.edu or bte compost@gmail.com.