Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to put my bucket out every week?
No. We will pick it up every week if it at the curb. However if you forget to put it out or it is not full and you can wait a week that is fine. We do not "need" your food scraps on a weekly basis. Our piles are constantly growing as we add scraps to them. This service is about keeping food out of the land fill not rapidly creating compost.
How do I cancel or pause my service?
You may cancel or pause service anytime buy using the billing portal. We are very sorry to see you go! Please do let us know if there is every anything we could do to improve our small business.
When is my pickup day?
All residential service areas are picked up on TUESDAYS. Please have your bucket out by 9am.
Why should I pay you to pick up my food scraps?
You wouldn't throw your recyclables in the trash (would you?!), so why are you throwing your food scraps in the trash? Rotting food in the landfill is bad for the environment for many reasons. Recycling your food scraps into compost instead decreases powerful greenhouse gases and makes a carbon sink (removes carbon from the atmosphere) instead! Additionally, your trash will be less messy, stinky, and lighter. We hope for a future where individual households do not have to pay for such a service, but for now this is a service and costs money to run.
How is this different than a backyard compost pile?
Our piles reach a minimum temperature of 131 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 days. This kills harmful pathogens and weed seeds, leaving a clean and safe, high-quality finished product. We also have a "recipe" for our piles that leave a balanced finished compost. By composting with us, you can divert a greater variety of food scraps than you would be able to process at home. Plus, making compost is messy, stinky, hard work! Let us do the dirty work for you. Leave your food scraps to the experts so you can be confident they are getting properly processed.
What if I need another bucket?
Your subscription pays for one 5 gallon pick-up a week. We think for most households this will be more than enough. However if you need a few extra buckets for a one-time event at your normal service location, we can drop them off with your next pickup and you can put them out with your regular service.
What's up with compostable products packaging?
At this time we are only accepting brown non coated paper and anything "BPI certified." We'll be the first to admit that the composting industry still has big challenges like contaminants, confusing labeling for “compostable” products (otherwise known as greenwashing), and quality control issues. Most products advertised as "compostable" are made from a natural polymer (e.g. derived from a crop, like corn) and are still made in a lab the same way as a synthetic polymer. These products are still essentially plastic.
Where should I keep my bucket?
Most clients keep their bucket outside or in the kitchen, either under a sink, in a cabinet, or a pantry, using a smaller counter-top container to collect daily scraps.
What about using a garbage disposal ?
When wasted food is sent down the drain, it combines with other wastes in the sewer system and ends up at a water resource recovery facility, or wastewater treatment plant. Sending wasted food down the drain is one of the least preferred pathways because wasted food decays rapidly in the sewer system and generates methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. Methane emissions from sewers are released directly into the atmosphere. Energy is required to treat wastewater that contains nutrient-rich wasted food. Depending on the operations at the water resource recovery facility, the valuable nutrients in wasted food may not be recovered for beneficial use. Even if a facility recovers energy through anaerobic digestion, the recovered energy does not offset the methane emissions from wasted food in sewers and extra energy demand for wastewater treatment.
Will I get compost later?
In short, yes. Compost takes time to make. Your food scraps are a small but valuable part of the "recipe" we use to make a balanced, nutrient rich product. Your food scraps make up only about 1/4 of the material needed to make compost and it is not a 1-1 ratio (5 gallons of food scraps doesn't turn into 5 gallons of compost). Currently we are working with our partner, Chickadee Compost, as we get our business up and running. We currently offer 1 free 5 gallon bucket to our subscribers and a dicount on larger bulk orders. Compost will be avalible in the spring.
I missed my pick up…now what?
If you can not make it until your next pickup day, we have a "drop and swap" shed located in the Rize parking lot in Bangor where you can exchange your bucket. 28 Olive St, Bangor, ME 04401. If we missed your pick up but you had your bucket out, please let us know.