We just updated our list of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials, a copy of which can be viewed/downloaded at https://www.gbcompost.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Greener-Bay-Compost-Acceptable-and-Not-Acceptable-Materials-List.pdf, to reflect that we will no longer be accepting machine-shredded paper or cardboard, without expressed, written permission, going forward.

Please note: Plain/matte paper or cardboard that is hand-torn, cut with a box cutter, etc. into something like half or fourths will still be acceptable, as it always has been (but still, no receipts, please, as these are made with toxic “thermal paper,” not plain/matte paper).

The reason for this change is that in the past two weeks, we have received two buckets from subscribers that contained shredded paper (specifically, shredded junk mail/envelopes) that was contaminated with a combination of shiny/glossy paper, foil, and plastic envelope window bits.

This resulted in us needing to dispose of approximately one-eighth to one-tenth of the contents of each of these buckets in the garbage (and could potentially have resulted in us needing to trash the entire bucket contents, had the contamination affected the entire bucket), being that shiny/glossy paper and cardboard, metals such as foil, and plastic of all kinds are on the Not Acceptable side of our list of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials (as they are made with toxic, petroleum-based chemicals, do not biodegrade, or are not safely compostable in general).

As we’re sure you can imagine, this made us very sad, as we hate to see anything that could potentially be composted thrown in the trash, especially the wood shavings at the bottom of our buckets and the compostable liners we line all of our buckets with.

That being the case, to prevent further contamination of the rest of the materials in our buckets going forward, to ensure the clean, high-quality nature of the finished compost we make, and to remain as environmentally-friendly as possible, it is necessary for us to ban machine-shredded paper and cardboard from inclusion in future Greener Bay Compost buckets.

Please note: We may make exceptions to this policy on a case-by-case basis, assuming a subscriber requests such an exception from us, and is granted one, in writing, prior to adding machine-shredded paper or cardboard to their buckets. An example of a case where we may grant such an exception would be in the event that a subscriber has non-shiny/glossy gift basket shreds they’d like to compost and which clearly pose no contamination risk to our buckets.

Also, please note: To enforce this new policy, we will be effectuating a policy going forward for any buckets we pick up from subscribers after 1/9/2022 that will see our subscribers receive zero weight-based credit for their bucket contents (as per our Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program), regardless of the weight of their bucket or the apparent percentage of their bucket contents made up of machine-shredded paper or cardboard, if any machine-shredded paper or cardboard is found inside their buckets (unless, of course, the subscriber has been granted the aforementioned written permission to include such shredded material in their bucket(s)).

If you have any questions or concerns about this change to our list of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials or our new weight-deduction policy relative to machine-shredded paper or cardboard received after 1/9/2022, please let us know. We are always here to help!