UPDATE: Major changes to our policy on waste provided to us outside of our buckets

We are, today, making the following changes to our policies regarding waste provided to us outside of our buckets:

Effective immediately, we will be enforcing a stricter ban on materials provided to us outside of our buckets on Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup days, with the exception of plain/matte pizza boxes, the following list of dry, “high carbon” materials (assuming they can fit inside no more than (2) paper or plastic bags which are no larger than traditional grocery store bags), and any materials we have authorized a subscriber to provide to us outside of their buckets (via a written exception):

1. Plain/matte paper and cardboard items (including, for example, clean or soiled pizza boxes, clean or soiled fast food takeout bags, soiled paper towels and napkins that have not been in contact with chemicals, paper grocery bags, toilet paper and paper towel tubes, egg cartons, newspapers with glossy inserts removed, etc.), with all tape, stickers, staples, and other contaminants removed
2. Fall/autumn leaves (as long as they are not mixed/intermingled with grass/lawn mower clippings, brush, and/or copious amounts of sticks, pinecones, etc.)

As an aside, please note that we still do not accept receipts, as they are made of toxic thermal paper. Going forward, we will also no longer be accepting “junk mail,” including unopened junk mail envelopes and/or their contents, as “junk mail” takes an inordinate amount of time for us to process/sort, compared to the other materials listed above, and pose a far greater risk of contamination to our compost.

Accordingly:

• Receipts should be thrown in the trash.
• “Junk mail” should be recycled.
• Also, please throw any “Snotty” Kleenex/facial tissues (as opposed to paper towels, napkins, etc. soiled with food) in the trash.

But what about dead flowers, corn husks, etc.?

Until recently, we were accepting outside of our buckets materials we considered “dry,” including dead/dead-headed flowers, certain types of garden waste, and corn husks.

Unfortunately, our definitions of “wet” and “dry” have proven to be confusing for our subscribers and have needlessly complicated our policies. Accordingly, and as implied earlier, these materials will only be accepted inside of our buckets from this day forward.

So, what can a subscriber expect, going forward, if they provide material to us outside of our buckets, which should be inside of our buckets?

Should we be provided, outside of our buckets, at any time following this announcement, materials other than those identified above as materials we accept outside of our buckets, we reserve the right to refuse said materials/leave said materials on a subscribers property, without further explanation (and it should be noted that it is our intent to do so).

If, for whatever reason, we decide to take said material from a subscribers property, despite it having been provided to us in what we consider to be an unacceptable manner, our taking of said materials should not be interpreted to mean that we have changed the above-mentioned policy or made an exception to it.

On a related note, and importantly, we will no longer be providing weight-based credit (under our Waste Reduction Rewards Program) relative to materials provided to us in non-compliance with the above-mentioned policy (regardless of whether we take said materials or refuse/leave them on a subscribers property).

Should we take from a subscribers property a bag of what we initially believe to be filled with acceptable, dry, “high carbon” materials, which we later determine to be filled with a mix/combination of acceptable materials and materials we only accept inside of our buckets (for example, a pile of garden waste covered with or obscured by newspaper or Fall leaves), we will, likewise, provide no weight-based credit relative to the contents of said bag.

In a nutshell: From this point on, for a subscriber to receive weight-based credit for the weight of the materials they provide to us, the materials must, first, be considered Acceptable by us (meaning they are found on the Acceptable side of our list of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials) and, second, be either 1) provided to us inside of our buckets or 2) provided to us inside of the up to (2) bags of dry, “high carbon” materials we accept outside of our buckets.

This means that while we reserve the right to accept bags outside of our buckets in excess of the (2) bag limit described above (as we have sometimes done in the past, if the space in our pickup vehicles permitted us to do so), we will only be providing weight-based credit for the contents of (2) bags per each Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup we perform.

So, what can a subscriber do if they have more waste than can fit in their bucket(s)?

Should any Residential subscriber have more organic waste they would like to provide us than what they can reasonably fit inside our buckets or the (2) bags mentioned above, and should they wish to receive weight-based credit for said waste, they can either purchase a Special, One-Time Swap from us or subscribe to our Add-A-Bucket option at www.GBCompost.com/Residential.

Similarly, should any Small Business subscriber have more organic waste they would like to provide us than what they can reasonably fit inside our buckets or the (2) bags mentioned above, and should they wish to receive weight-based credit for said waste, they can subscribe to our Add-A-Bucket option at www.GBCompost.com/Commercial.

Please note: There is no limit to how many Special, One-Time Swaps a Residential subscriber can purchase or number of times a Residential or Small Business subscriber can subscribe for an extra bucket from us under our Add-A-Bucket options. Also, it should be noted that the Add-A-Bucket options can be canceled at any time.

What if a subscriber doesn’t want to pay extra for us to take their excess organic waste?

If a subscriber does not wish to pay for a Special, One-Time Swap or an Add-a-Bucket subscription (which, it should be noted, supports us/helps us stay in business, grow, and expand), they have a few other options when it comes to what they can do with their excess organic waste:

Assuming the excess waste is considered yard waste by the subscribers Municipality, the subscriber may be able to take said waste to their local yard waste site, free of charge (please note that most Municipalities consider garden waste/refuse to be yard waste).

• Green Bay Yard Waste information: https://greenbaywi.gov/YardWaste
• Allouez Yard Waste Information: https://www.villageofallouezwi.gov/depts/public-works/yard-waste-and-waste-oil-drop-off-site/
• Ashwaubenon Yard Waste Information: https://ashwaubenon.gov/government/departments/public-works-streets/yard-waste-disposal/
• Bellevue Yard Waste Information: https://www.villageofbellevuewi.gov/departments/public_works/garbage__recycling___yard_waste/yard_waste
• De Pere Yard Waste Information: https://www.deperewi.gov/topic/index.php?topicid=278&structureid=88
• Hobart Yard Waste Information: https://www.hobart-wi.org/public-works
• Howard Yard Waste Information: http://www.villageofhoward.com/174/Yard-Waste-Removal
• Ledgeview Yard Waste Information: https://www.ledgeviewwisconsin.com/departments/public-works/yard-waste/
• Suamico Yard Waste Information: https://www.suamico.org/departments/public_works_engineering/yard_waste_site.php

Assuming the excess waste is food waste, the subscriber may save the waste for a later bucket by freezing it (such as in a gallon-sized freezer bag), or, if absolutely necessary, dispose of it in the trash (although this is something we do not support doing, for obvious reasons)

Please note: It has been illegal in the State of Wisconsin, since 1993, to dispose of yard waste (including pumpkins, potted plants, etc.) in the trash. For more information, visit https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/statutes/statutes/287/II/07#:~:text=Beginning%20on%20January%203%2C%201993%2C%20no%20person%20may,waste%20facility%20in%20this%20state.%20%283%29%20Waste%20tires.

If you have any questions or concerns about the above-mentioned policy changes, you may contact us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Until next time, best wishes and happy composting!

New Small Business Compost Pickup Service Just Launched!

Greener Bay Compost is excited to announce that we have just launched a new Small Business Compost Pickup Service to complement our Residential Compost Pickup and Drop-Off Services and provide composting options to businesses that can be served with five gallon buckets and which generally have 50 or fewer employees.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OR SIGN UP FOR THIS NEW SERVICE, CLICK HERE: https://www.gbcompost.com/commercial/

If you have any questions or concerns about this new Service, or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Thank you, as always, for helping us make Green Bay a little greener every day!

New Residential Compost Drop-Off Service Just Launched!

Greener Bay Compost is excited to announce that we have just launched a new Residential Compost Drop-Off Service to complement our longstanding Residential Compost Pickup Service and provide composting options to members of our community who we were previously unable to serve, namely apartment-dwellers and individuals/families who may live just outside of our Residential Compost Pickup Service‘s service area.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OR SIGN UP FOR THIS NEW SERVICE, CLICK HERE: https://www.gbcompost.com/residential/

If you have any questions or concerns about this new Service, or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Thank you, as always, for helping us make Green Bay a little greener every day!

UPDATE: We are discontinuing our 6-Months-Paid-in-Full plans, in favor of Month-to-Month plans only

Effective 8/1/2022, we will be discontinuing our Every-Other-Week, 6-Months-Paid-in-Full version of our Residential Compost Pickup Service and transitioning any subscriber who is on said plan, as of their next renewal date, to our Every-Other-Week, Month-to-Month plan, which is $15.00/month, and, as the name of the plan suggests, billed monthly.

We are making this transition for several reasons:

• To further simplify our business model
• To provide our subscribers more flexibility, in terms of the ease with which they can come and go from our Service (if need be, or perhaps seasonally)
• To help ensure the financial feasibility of our Services

We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause anyone. Rest assured, however, that other than our subscription periods being shorter, this transition will change nothing about the high quality of Service you receive from us.

Please note: This transition will, necessarily, result in the elimination of the 10% discount that was built into our 6-Months-Paid-in-Full plan pricing, being that that plan will no longer exist.

If you have any questions or concerns about this transition, or anything else, please do not hesitate to contact us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Thank you, as always, for your support of us and our mission to make Green Bay a little greener every day! Words cannot express how much we appreciate you.

Until next time, best wishes and happy composting!

Greener Bay Compost named BioBag’s Community Hero for July 2022

Greener Bay Compost is proud to announce that we have been named BioBag‘s Community Hero for the month of July 2022!

To read the interview BioBag did with our Founder and CEO, Cory Groshek, on their blog as part of their monthly Community Heroes series, click here: https://www.biobagusa.com/2022/07/community-hero-greener-bay/?fbclid=IwAR1QLLrcVEgXFgmSrjBC-Yitis8m0mj8poc3I84Lu_PhoQSIkvHZoq2OOjg

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT: We are Re-Launching our Waste Reduction Rewards Program

We have a very big announcement to make, which we are quite sure you (and the rest of our subscribers) will be very excited to hear, which is that:

Effective immediately, and backdated to 6/1/22, we are re-launching and revamping what used to be known as our Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program as our new Waste Reduction Rewards Program.

As you may be aware, we announced on 5/15/22 that our Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards program was being replaced with our new Compost Discount Program, for a number of reasons.

Since we made that announcement, however, we have received some very valuable feedback from our subscribers indicating how much they loved that they could earn compost from us through that program, being that many of them have gardens (or have friends or family members with gardens), and that their ability to earn said compost was a major reason for why they signed up with us.

Accordingly, we have made the decision to re-launch this program (and will be updating our website, at www.GBCompost.com/Rewards, to reflect this as soon as possible), with some modifications, to make sure our subscribers have some “skin in the game,” so to say, when it comes to the compost we produce from their would-be organic waste, plus an opportunity to get their hands on some of our amazing, premium compost, even if they choose to never purchase any from us.

(On that note, we have begun taking Compost Requests from anyone–subscribers and non-subscribers alike–who may be interested in purchasing compost from us. If this is something you are interested in, you may make a request at https://www.gbcompost.com/compost-request-form/).

Please note that because we have backdated this new program to 6/1/22, all the buckets we picked up from our subscribers today (Sunday, 6/5/22) will be taken into consideration when calculating rewards under this new program.

The new Waste Reduction Rewards Program will work as follows:

• All of our Curbside Compost Pickup Service subscribers will start with a “clean slate” with regard to the weight of the materials they’ve provided to us, dating back to 6/1/22 (meaning everyone will start at the same number, which is 0.00 pounds).
• Every pound of Acceptable material we receive from our Curbside Compost Pickup Service subscribers from 6/1/22 forward will be kept track of by us, via the Greener Bay Compost Leaderboard (which is undergoing major updates over the next few days to reflect both this new Waste Reduction Rewards Program and our Compost Discount Program)
• The only weight deductions we will be making in calculating the above poundage will be made based on the actual weight of any Not Acceptable materials we may receive, or the weight of an entire buckets contents, for in the rare instance of total-bucket contamination (such as if we receive buckets containing large amounts of non-naturally-occurring liquids, lawn mower/grass clippings, etc.)
• Once a Curbside Compost Pickup Service subscriber reaches 500 pounds of Acceptable material on the Leaderboard, the subscriber will be eligible to claim a (1) cubic foot bag of compost from us, any time between May 1st and November 30th of the year (which is the time of year when our compost is not frozen), and we will work with the subscriber to arrange for pickup/drop-off of this earned compost.
• This product is the same product we are now taking requests for at https://www.gbcompost.com/compost-request-form/, which retails for $39.99/bag (not taking into account any discounts our subscribers may earn under our Compost Discount Program)

Important to note: For someone to claim compost under this new Waste Reduction Rewards program, or a discount under our Compost Discount Program, they must be an active subscriber to one of our Curbside Compost Pickup Service plans, with no payments for such plans past due/in arrears.

If you have any questions or concerns about this new Rewards Program, or anything else at all, please do not hesitate to Contact Us at www.GBCompost.com/Contact. We are always here to help!
 

IMPORTANT: Our Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials List has been Updated

We have just updated our list of Acceptable & Not Acceptable Materials for Inclusion in Our Compost Buckets, which can be viewed on this website at https://www.gbcompost.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/Greener-Bay-Compost-Acceptable-and-Not-Acceptable-Materials-List.pdf, or through our link at the bottom of our homepage.

The changes that have been made can be summarized as follows:

• We have updated our list to indicate that we will now accept any and all products labeled as either BPI-Certified Compostable (with BPI being an American organization) or TUV-Certified Compostable (with TUV being a European organization). To find items certified as such, or to find out if items you buy or are considering purchasing are certified as such, please visit https://bpiworld.org/Find-Certified-Products or https://www.tuv-at.be/green-marks/certified-products/.
• We have updated our wording on our acceptance of ashes from untreated, natural wood to be more clear with regard to the fact that we do not accept charcoal.
• We have updated our wording on our acceptance of coffee grounds to indicate that we also accept coffee beans, in addition to the paper coffee filters we have always accepted.
• We have updated our wording on our acceptance of dead/dying houseplants to indicate that we no longer accept root balls (and would thus like those removed), which we recommend taking to one’s local yard waste site (or leaving on ones curb, for pickup by one’s municipality, if/when such pickup services are available).
• We have updated our wording on our acceptance of eggs to be clear that we do accept Easter eggs.
• We have added flowers to the list of materials we clearly accept, with the caveat that we only want them if they have not been painted/dyed with non-food-safe paints or dyes or coated/covered in glitter.
• We have updated our wording on our acceptance of fruits and vegetables to be more clear that we accept whole produce, and not just scraps.
• We have updated our wording on our acceptance of grains (such as corn, rice, quinoa, etc.) to be clear that we do also accept grain-based products, such as breads, cereals, chips, crackers, pastas, etc.
• We have added “Napkins, paper towels, etc. soiled with food” to our list of Acceptable Materials, with an emphasis on them being soiled with food.
• We have updated our wording on our acceptance of nuts, seeds, and their shells to state that in addition to black walnut, we now no longer accept pecans or their shells, as they contain juglone (which inhibits the growth of other plants), just as black walnut does.
• We have updated our wording on our acceptance of paper or cotton tea bag tags to be more clear that we only accept the tags if they are plain/matte, as opposed to shiny/glossy, as we have been receiving many shiny/glossy tea bag tags lately.
• We have added vinegar to our list of Not Acceptable materials, where it is now lumped in with alcohol, such as beer, wine, hard liquor, etc.
• We have added ceramics (such as terracotta pot pieces) to our list of Not Acceptable materials.
• We have added root balls (such as those from dead, potted houseplants) to our list of Not Acceptable materials.
• While we have always found shiny/glossy paper and cardboard to be not acceptable, we have now added emphasis with regard to our non-acceptance of “gift wrap” paper & food boxes lined with “waterproof” material).
• We have added “snotty” tissues or Kleenex (for health/safety reasons) to our list of Not Acceptable materials.
• While we have always found them to be not acceptable, we have now officially added wax, “baking”/parchment, or “non-stick” paper to the Not Acceptable side of our list, to provide more clarity to our subscribers, whereas we have been receiving quite a bit of this material over the past several months.
• While we have always found them to be not acceptable, on the grounds that chemicals, such as those commonly found in wet wipes, are harmful to compost, we have now officially added wet wipes / baby wipes to the Not Acceptable side of our list, to provide more clarity to our subscribers, whereas we have seen a large influx of these wipes in the buckets we have picked up over the past few months.

In addition to the above updates, we have made many more minor updates to the wording of our list, to eliminate or reduce redundancies and provide clarity to our subscribers and the general public.

Please note that with regard to some of the new additions to the Not Acceptable side of our list, including ceramics, root balls, and “snotty” tissues and Kleenex, we will not be penalizing anyone for the inclusion of these materials in any buckets we pick up prior to 6/19/2022.

That said, if any of these materials are found in buckets picked up on or after 6/19/22 or later, the buckets they are found in will be considered “dirty,” as per our Compost Discount Program, which we made an announcement about on 5/15/2022, and which you can read at: https://www.gbcompost.com/2022/05/15/effective-6-1-22-our-loyalty-and-waste-reduction-rewards-program-will-be-replaced-with-a-new-compost-discount-program/

If you have any questions or concerns about any of these updates/changes to our list of Acceptable & Not Acceptable Materials, please let us know by using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Greener Bay Compost featured in Green Bay’s Official Newspaper, The Press Times!

On Friday, May 20th, 2022, Greener Bay Compost was featured in The Press Times, which was recently named the official newspaper of the city of Green Bay, as seen below. Enjoy!

Click here to read the article online: https://gopresstimes.com/2022/05/25/making-green-bay-greener-one-compost-bucket-at-a-time/

Effective 6/1/22: Our Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program will be replaced with a new Compost Discount Program

We hope you had a wonderful weekend and didn’t get sunburned in the least!

As indicated in the announcements we’ve made over the past three days, if you are a subscriber to our Curbside Compost Pickup Service, you will be directly affected by some major policy and program changes we are making, which will be effective 6/1/22 (a Wednesday).

As stated previously, for the sake of not overwhelming you with too much information in any one announcement, we opted to divide our announcements into a series of announcements: One which was made three days ago, one which was made two days ago, one which was made yesterday (5/14), and, finally, this one today (with the announcements having become progressively more impactful with each day).

Again, we are making these changes to our policies and programs for several reasons:

1. To streamline/simplify our business
2. To aid our productivity/increase our efficiency
3. To maximize our profitability/ensure our survival as a business
4. To prepare for our near-term future, which will see our business split essentially evenly between our existing Curbside Compost Pickup Service and what will soon be our Compost Sales
5. To prepare for our longer-term future, which may see us partner with Municipalities (such as the City of Green Bay) on “food waste pilot programs,” potentially as soon as 2023

Today, we have a MAJOR announcement to make, which will affect all of our subscribers, both present and future, which is that, effective 6/1/22, our current Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program, which rewards our subscribers with (1) pound of finished compost for every (15) pounds of would-be organic waste they provide to us, will cease to exist, with a new Compost Discount Program taking its place.

Rather than reward subscribers based on how much would-be organic waste their households provide to us, as the Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program has done since its inception in late August 2021, our new Compost Discount Program will reward subscribers based on how “Clean”/contaminant-free (i.e.: lacking in Not Acceptable items/materials) the contents of their Greener Bay Compost buckets and extras bags of dry materials they provide to us are.

We are making the transition to this new rewards program for several reasons:

• First, our data suggests that the Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program, which was intended to reduce the amount of waste ending up in our local landfills, may have had the opposite effect, in that it may have encouraged/incentivized subscribers to produce more waste, not less.
• Second, as our subscriber base has continued to grow (by nearly 800%, since just about nine months ago), the administrative work necessary to facilitate the Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program has becoming increasingly burdensome, to the point where it is taking valuable time that we feel could be better spent on other activities, such as physical, compost-related work.
• Third, we have determined that we cannot continue to cannibalize our currently-very-limited compost supply by rewarding our subscribers with it, especially whereas many subscribers have expressed little to no interest in claiming said compost (despite having earned it), and still successfully transition into a company that not only provides Curbside Compost Pickup Services, but also sells compost (which is one of our major goals for this Spring)

Currently, our only revenue stream stems from our Curbside Compost Pickup Service. But in the very near future (as early as next month), our business model will evolve to include the sales of (1) Cubic Foot bags of our compost (for starters), to both our subscribers and the general public.

Accordingly, we must prepare to produce and package up enough compost for sale each year, moving forward, to meet the needs of a market in which compost is not only in great demand, but also extremely short supply (especially given the fertilizer shortages our country is currently suffering from).

This means we can no longer afford to give away our product for free, except for in very small amounts, or in very limited circumstances (such as per the terms of our Referral Rewards Program, which will continue to exist beyond 6/1/22, or for the sake of donating it to local organizations, such as the Northeastern Wisconsin Master Gardeners, local community gardens, etc., in exchange for promotion of our company).

Our new Compost Discount Program will work as follows, effective 6/1/22:

• We will sort through the contents of each individual Greener Bay Compost bucket and extra bag of dry materials we receive on or after 6/1/22, as we’ve always done, to identify and remove from our waste stream any items/materials we may find that fall into the Not Acceptable side of our list of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials, and document/photograph any such items/materials found.
• Should we find zero Not Acceptable items/material in a bucket or extra bag, we will designate the bucket as “Clean.”
• Should we find any Not Acceptable items/materials in a bucket or extra bag (regardless of whether this is one produce sticker, for example, or ten), we will designate the bucket as “Dirty.”
• Any subscriber who provides a “Dirty” bucket to us will receive a short email from us, with the subject line “Dirty Bucket Alert,” a link the subscriber can use to dispute our determination that their bucket was “Dirty” (if they so choose), and a photo of the Not Acceptable item(s)/material(s) we found in their bucket/extra bags.
• There will be no “educational” component to the “Dirty Bucket Alert” emails, which means we will not be using them to advise subscribers as to how to prevent future buckets from being considered “Dirty.” Our only “educational” efforts, from 6/1/22 on, will be conducted via our website and our social media accounts, and not targeted at any particular subscriber or subscribers (unless, of course, a subscriber contacts us privately for assistance, in which case we will, of course, assist them, in private).
• We will keep track of how many “Clean” and “Dirty” buckets each subscriber provides to us, as well as what percentage of their total buckets are “Clean.”
• Our subscribers “Clean Bucket Percentage” (or “Clean Bucket %”), as it will be known, will be used to determine the discount our subscribers receive on any compost they purchase from us in the future.
• The percentage discount subscribers will receive will be:
  • 5%, for any subscriber with a “Clean Bucket Percentage” of less than 80%
  • 10%, for any subscriber with a “Clean Bucket Percentage” of 80-89.99%
  • 15%, for any subscriber with a “Clean Bucket Percentage” of 90-94.99%
  • 20%, for any subscriber with a “Clean Bucket Percentage” of 95-100%

PLEASE NOTE: We intend to sell our (1) Cubic Foot bags (approximately 35-40 pounds) of compost to the general public for $39.99 per bag, plus tax (5.5%), and so the above discounts would apply to that price. Additionally, we intend to charge a delivery fee of $5.00, plus tax (5.5%) to subscribers and non-subscribers alike (which the Compost Discount would not apply to), that is, unless subscribers opt to meet us at the old Sears parking lot on Military Avenue in west Green Bay (or some other location in the middle of our service area, of our choosing) to pick up the compost, on a date and at a time agreed upon by all parties, in which case we will waive this fee for our subscribers.

Now, because we have learned that most subscribers make most of their mistakes, with regard to putting Not Acceptable items/materials in their buckets, over the course of their first two Bucket Swaps/Compost Pickups, we will be introducing what we call the New Subscriber Grace Period, which will guarantee new subscribers a “Clean” bucket designation on each of the first two buckets they provide to us, regardless of whether they’re actually “Clean.” After those first two buckets, however, such subscribers will be playing by the same rules as everyone else.

IMPORTANT TO NOTE: This New Subscriber Grace Period will only be afforded to actual new subscribers (that is, any subscribers who haven’t already received two Bucket Swaps/Compost Pickups from us by 6/1/22).

Having said that, it should be noted that all of our subscribers, regardless of when they originally signed up with us, or how long they’ve been with us, will start with a “clean slate” on 6/1/22, with regard to the number of “Clean” and “Dirty” buckets they’ve provided us to date. In other words, past “Dirty” buckets (from before 6/1/22) will not be held against anyone, and all subscribers will get a fresh start at the beginning of June.

In spite of this, now may be a good time to re-read our list of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials, especially whereas we just updated it a few weeks ago, just to be safe/best prepared.

Now, at this point, you’re probably wondering what we’re going to do with any/all the compost you may have earned, or will earn, through 5/31/22, per our current Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program, but have not yet claimed, or have been unable to claim to date, due to you perhaps having not been with us for long enough (six months) to have earned the right to claim said compost.

About that…

We have great news for everyone!

Because we are company that keeps its promises/is true to its word, we will continue to keep track of how much compost our subscribers earn, via our current Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program, through 5/31/22, and come 6/1/22, once we have a final number as to how much compost we still owe everyone, we will be waiving the requirement that subscribers be with us for six months to claim their earned compost and will endeavor, over the next several weeks, to deliver, on a date (or dates) of our choosing (hopefully before the end of June 2022), the compost we owe everyone.

This will be our way of “paying off our debt,” so to say, to our subscribers and putting an end to the Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program in what we believe is the right away–the Greener Bay Compost way–with integrity.

To that effect, shortly after 6/1/22, all subscribers should expect an email from us advising them of the final number of pounds of compost we owe them and what day (or days) we will plan to deliver it to them on. Please note that whatever day or days we choose will not be on a regularly-scheduled Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup day, but rather on some other day(s) of the week that work best for us.

It is our hope that this will give everyone a proper opportunity to experience the amazing benefits of our compost to all plants, whether it is a house plant, crops planted in a garden, or a lawn.

Now that that’s out of the way, you may also be wondering what is to become of the Greener Bay Compost Leaderboard as of 6/1/22, being that we will no longer need it to keep track of how much compost subscribers have earned, claimed, or donated, via the Loyalty and Waste Reduction Rewards Program, being that that program will no longer exist.

To that point, please note that we will simply be reconfiguring the Leaderboard to keep track of our new Compost Discount Program-related statistics, including each subscriber’s number of “Clean” and “Dirty” buckets, as well as their “Clean Bucket Percentages.” We expect this reconfiguration to be complete by no later than the end of the day on 6/4/22.

In conclusion, we recognize that the change detailed above is quite dramatic, and will take some getting used to, but we also believe it is for the best, not only for our company, but for our subscribers as well, who we are sure want to help us make our compost as clean and high-quality as possible.

We sincerely hope all of our subscribers will embrace this change and take full advantage of the great, new discounts they will soon be earning through the Compost Discount Program, and support us by buying compost from us, rather than online or from Big Box Stores, in the future.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact. We are always here to help and look forward to continuing to serve you in the months (and hopefully years) ahead!

Effective 6/1/22: Changes to our policy on extra wet waste/materials provided outside of our buckets

We hope you are staying cool today and enjoying all the pretty butterflies and the bees buzzing around all the beautiful flowers that are just beginning to bloom!

As indicated in the announcements we’ve made over the past two days, if you are a subscriber to our Curbside Compost Pickup Service, you will be directly affected by some major policy and program changes we will be making between now and this coming Sunday (5/15/22), all of which will be effective 6/1/22 (a Wednesday).

As stated previously, for the sake of not overwhelming you with too much information in any one announcement, we have opted to divide our announcements into a series of announcements: One which was made two days ago, one yesterday, one today (5/14), and one tomorrow (5/15), with the announcements becoming progressively more impactful with each day.

Again, we are making these changes to our policies and programs for several reasons:

1. To streamline/simplify our business
2. To aid our productivity/increase our efficiency
3. To maximize our profitability/ensure our survival as a business
4. To prepare for our near-term future, which will see our business split essentially evenly between our existing Curbside Compost Pickup Service and what will soon be our Compost Sales
5. To prepare for our longer-term future, which may see us partner with Municipalities (such as the City of Green Bay) on “food waste pilot programs,” potentially as soon as 2023

Today, we have a somewhat major announcement to make (only somewhat major, in that we believe it will only affect a small portion of our subscribers, and perhaps only occasionally), which is that, effective 6/1/22, we will no longer accept any wet waste/materials provided to us outside of our buckets, regardless of what kind of bag, box, or container it/they may be provided in.

Historically, if our subscribers had more wet waste/materials than could reasonably fit in their Greener Bay Compost buckets, we would allow our subscribers to put this extra waste inside of unscented plastic bags, tied shut, and set said bags out for us on their scheduled Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup days, beside their buckets.

Effective 6/1/22, we will no longer be allowing this, and if any such bags are left beside our buckets, they will be left at our subscribers residences, without explanation.

Please note: We define “wet waste/materials” as waste or materials that are wet to the touch or moist to the point that, if they were to be squeezed or left to sit anywhere for any period of time, that liquid would leak from them, as well as waste or materials that are nitrogen-rich/prone to emit “offensive odors” as they rot. Generally speaking, all food scraps are considered “wet.”

Accordingly, much of the food waste we commonly receive, such as banana peels, avocados, citrus fruits, potato peels, watermelon rinds, lettuce, etc. are considered wet, as are the animal droppings we consider acceptable (such as those from chickens, rabbits, guinea pigs, etc.). As such, these materials should never be provided to us outside of our buckets, as of 6/1/22.

We are making the change detailed above for two very important reasons:

1. To prevent wet waste/materials from potentially spilling outside of bags and into our pickup vehicle (thus creating a mess we would then need to clean up) and to prevent potentially “offensive odors” emanating from such waste/materials from making our drivers routes unpleasant or intolerable.
2. To protect our subscribers (and Greener Bay Compost, by proxy) from potential municipal ordinance violations relative to, but not necessarily limited to, rat/rodent infestation and “offensive odor” complaints from neighbors.

On a related note, relative to “offensive odor” control, please make sure to snap your bucket lids on tight when/if you put them outside, so as to avoid attracting rats, rodents, or other pests, as well as to prevent potentially “offensive odors” from wafting through your neighborhood.

We were recently informed by one of our subscribers that because they hadn’t snapped their bucket lid on tight, a raccoon got inside their bucket and made quite a mess for them. We, of course, do not want this to happen to anyone else.

Now, you may be asking yourself a very good question right now, which is “If Greener Bay Compost will no longer let me put extra wet waste out for them inside of bags, then what should I do if I produce more wet waste than I can fit in my bucket?”

We have a couple suggestions for you:

1. Consider signing up for our Add-a-Bucket option, which enables you to receive not one, but two buckets from us on each of your scheduled Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup days, for only $10.00 extra per month (which you can cancel at any time, if you decide you no longer need the extra bucket).
2. Consider using our Special, One-Time Bucket Swap option, on an as-needed basis, for a one-time charge of just $5.00, to make arrangements with us for us to meet you at a public location in the middle of our service area (typically the old Sears parking lot on Military Avenue, in west Green Bay) to perform an extra Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup for you, on days we’re not already scheduled to perform one for you on.
3. Save your extra wet waste/materials for inclusion in a later bucket, potentially by placing it inside a plastic bag or container of some sort and freezing it (with this, of course, being the least expensive option).

Our next announcement will be tomorrow. If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact. We are always here to help and look forward to continuing to serve you in the months (and hopefully years) ahead!