Q: What is compostable?

A: If its edible, we can compost it! We take all food scraps, beverages, condiments, meats, bones, seafood shells, fats, oils, egg shells, nuts, garden scraps, and fruit skins (but please remove the stickers!). We also accept all untreated or recycled paper products including uncoated and unbleached paper plates, paper towels, coffee filters, napkins and paper bags (with no printed logos from grocery stores).

Please recycle cardboard, unless it is spoiled with other food waste or oils, then throw it away in regular trash. Our drop off facility no longer accepts cardboard in our compost bins. Additionally, we accept all forms of yard debris excluding wood and branches! For more information on what is accepted please visit the CSWD list of accepted items. Please reach out to us before your pickup if you will have large yard scrap bags, as we charge per lawn debris bag, or for any overload that will not fit into your designated amount of buckets.

If you are using compostable bags, please ensure they have a clearly visible BPI compostable logo printed on each individual bag! If that is not present, they must be third-party tested to meet ASTM D6400 or ASTM D6868 standards, and have one of these certifications printed on the individual bags instead. If a compostable liner does not have at least one of these three requirements printed on them, we will not haul it, and we do not recommend attempting to compost these products at home either.

We will not provide refunds if a pickup is skipped because the bucket contains multiple unacceptable materials that cannot be quickly and easily separated from the acceptable materials. Any buckets that contain dead animals will absolutely not be emptied for our driver’s safety. Our drivers will leave a note on your bucket if they find items that we cannot accept.

If your bucket contains any dead animals (rodents, birds, pets / any “meats” that were not purchased at a grocery store and processed for edible consumption) we will not haul it, and you will be responsible for removing it from your bin before your next pickup. This may sound silly, but you would be surprised at what we have found in our bins over the years.

Q: What time can I expect pickups?

A: Pickups begin at 7am and can happen as late as 7pm. We will inform any customers if a pickup is running later than 5pm. This usually only happens when we are experiencing staffing issues. The routes created for our drivers fluctuate, so we recommend you put your bucket out the night before pickup. We cannot guarantee pickup times, but as long as the bucket is out before 7am, pickup should be completed as scheduled.

Q: How do I change my address?

A: If you're planning on continuing our pickup service, but are moving to a new address simply send us a message about your move and any other changes you would like to make. This cannot be done by customer’s themselves, but we are happy to help over the phone or via email. All changes have to be approved an scheduled by our staff, and usually require a new pickup calendar to be sent.

We try to make transferring service as easy as possible! Just send us an email with your new address, your tentative move out date, and we will let you know if your pickup day will be changing. Just take your current bucket with you to avoid paying for a new one, and leave the rest to us!

Q: Can I use compostable bags in my bucket?

A: Yes, but make sure they are truly compostable.  This means they are either third-party tested to meet ASTM D6400 or ASTM D6868, or have a clearly visible BPI certified compostable logo on each individual bag. Our drop off center CSWD prefers all of our customers use the BioBag brand compostable liners, but as long as they meet at least one of the aforementioned standards, we will accept them. Acceptable liners can be purchased anytime through our add-ons page. You can also call or email us to have a supply of liners delivered with your next regularly scheduled pickup. We offer the lowest prices on these products, and free shipping with no added tax!

Please do not tie knots with your compostable bags as it will slow down the decomposition process.

Beware of certain Amazon products that are not certified compostable, or falsely advertised! Many products claim to be compostable but do not have any of the above certifications. Additionally, we have seen products advertised with certain criteria, but they are not labeled correctly upon delivery. If you are ever unsure, please send us a picture of the actual bag you are using (not just the packaging or product picture), and we will let you know if they can be used in our buckets.

Q: Can I use "biodegradable" products?

A: No!  "Biodegradable" is not synonymous with "compostable".  Although a product may biodegrade within 1-20 years, it would not be compostable in a facility that must break down waste into a useable product within 16 weeks (CSWD’s requirements). However, biodegradable garbage bags are still a good choice for landfilling waste instead of using a plastic garbage bag. We always encourage our customers to use more sustainable products where they can!

Q: Will my bucket attract wildlife?

A: The buckets we provide to our customers seal airtight. As long as the the bucket is clean and the lid is sealed tightly, no animals should be attracted to your food scraps. If you are having trouble with wildlife in your area, please reach out to us for suggestions.

We sell screw top lids for $12 each, which are impenetrable to most small wildlife, and can have one installed with any pickup. We recommend this as a last resort, only if you are already having continued issues. The best practice is adding our cleaning service, or cleaning the bucket yourself between pickups, and keeping it in an enclosed area (house, garage, shed) when not set out for pickup. Buckets left outside regularly are much more likely to experience these problems.

Q: Why don't you service my town?

A: We would love to grow our business to serve your community! If you do not see your town on our sign up page, and would like us to consider servicing your area, please send us a message so we can know you have interest in composting with us. The more interest generated, the more likely we are to expand! We will keep your name and email on our contact list if we are ever able to start pickups in your area.

Q: How can I update my payment method?

A: After you sign up for our services, you will receive an email from our recurring payment service, "MoonClerk" at least once every month. At the bottom of this email, there is a link that reads "Manage Your Plan".  From here, you can update your payment information. All other changes to your plan must be made via a request through email or over the phone.

Q: How can I enroll in text reminders?

A: If you would like to be reminded the day before your pickup, please send us a message with your mobile phone number and your address. We do not automatically add customers to our reminder list, as past feedback has told us that customers prefer to approve these messages.

If you are receiving text reminders, and wish to be removed from the contact list, simply reply “stop” to any of the messages.

Q: How can I opt-out of text reminders?

A: Reply "stop" to any of the messages you have previously received to be automatically removed from the reminder list.

Q: What happens when there is a snowstorm?

A: We will always try to serve our customers even in poor weather conditions. Please be aware that if your bucket is buried in the snow, our drivers may not be able to find it. If your bucket is missed on your scheduled pickup date, please send us a message to let us know.

If we ever have to reschedule your pickup due to inclement weather, we will reach out to you via email first. If we do not hear from you before the rescheduled pickup date, we will do our best to call you. Please be sure your account has up to date contact information for this reason! If we are unable to reach you, or you do not respond to our messages to reschedule, you may experience disruption in service.

We will not refund a skipped pickup due to inclement weather if we made adequate attempts to contact you through the info you provided, or if you did not provide any contact info on your sign-up form.

Refund Policy

• We do not provide refunds for reclaimed buckets when an account is canceled. The bucket is your property, and you are welcome to keep it even if you discontinue service. We will offer to reclaim it after cancelation, but we will not do so unless you confirm you no longer want it. If buckets are damaged, we will dispose of them properly. If buckets are reusable, we will sanitize them and keep them for future use. Please notify us via phone or email if you intend to keep your bucket after canceling service.

• If you will be out of town, and wish to pause service, please let us know. When requested at least 48 hours in advance, we will reduce your next month’s payment to reflect the skipped pickup(s). For longer trips we will pause your payments until you return when requested via phone or email.

• If your pickup is skipped due to holiday closures, we will not be rescheduling, and refunds will not be issued automatically. You can contact us via phone or email if you wish to receive credit towards your next bill for skipped holiday pickups. Please see our holiday schedule page for more information.

• We do not provide refunds for missed pickups unless we are unable to reschedule your pickup within 7 business days.

• If you do not notify us that a pickup was missed within 7 days, we will not issue a refund, or provide a credit. Instead, we will offer to take any extra compost at your next scheduled pickup for no additional cost to get you back on track.

• If you have a yearly payment plan, credits for skipped pickups may or may not be provided at management’s discretion. If you are in your first year of service that includes 3 months free, we will not provide any credit for any requested skipped pickups. If a pickup is missed, let us know right away, and we will provide a makeup pickup as soon as possible. If we are not notified of a missed pickup before your next scheduled pickup, we will not be able to provide a makeup pickup, and we will not credit your account if you pay yearly.

• DO NOT choose the yearly payment plan if you are a frequent traveler. We will not provide refunds for extended leaves of absence. We are only able to pause payments, or credit future bills for monthly subscriptions.

• If you cancel your account in the middle of a billing period, we will not provide a refund for the remainder of the month / year. We will provide as many pickups that have been paid for after the account is cancelled:

  • Example: if your monthly payment goes through on August 10th, but you cancel service anytime before your next payment goes through, we will provide all of your scheduled pickups until September 9th (the day before your next payment would have been due).

  • Example #2: If your yearly payment goes through on August 10th 2024, and you cancel service anytime before August 10th 2025, we will continue your pickups until August 9th of 2025. Even if you cancel halfway through the year, we will not provide a refund for the remainder of the plan you chose.

Missed Pickup Policy

• If your bucket was curbside by 7am, but pickup was missed, please let us know as soon as possible. We are usually able to schedule a makeup within 3-7 business days. This ensures that you receive the correct amount of pickups you are entitled to per month based on your plan. If we are not notified of a missed pickup within 7 days via phone or email, and given the opportunity to correct any mistakes, a refund will not be issued.

• When a pickup is missed because the bucket was not out by 7am, and a makeup is scheduled for any day other than your next regularly scheduled pickup day, there will be a $5 charge added to your next bill.

  • If you pay yearly rather than monthly, this $5 fee will be added as an immediate charge to your account. This also applies to purchase requests of new equipment, or rolls of liners.