Changes to our Rewards Programs to combat contamination, effective immediately

We are making changes to our Rewards Programs, effective immediately, as part of our ongoing efforts to combat contamination in our compost buckets.

Since Greener Bay Compost’s inception in July 2021, we have worked diligently to keep the contents of our buckets contaminant-free and our compost clean. Despite our best efforts, however, we continue to find contaminants (mostly produce stickers) in one-fifth to one-third of our buckets.

Because we consider this amount of contamination unacceptable, effective immediately, we will still be weighing the contents of all of our Residential subscribers buckets and keeping track of the resulting weights for our own purposes, but will be giving zero weight–based credit for contaminated buckets under our Waste Reduction Rewards Program (www.GBCompost.com/Rewards).

For the purposes of this policy change, a “contaminated bucket” means a bucket which contains one or more materials from the Not Acceptable side of our list of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials (a copy of which can be viewed and downloaded at www.GBCompost.com/List).

Please note that it will be entirely up to Greener Bay Compost’s discretion as to whether a particular material is considered Not Acceptable (using the above-mentioned List as a reference). That said, produce stickers are our primary concern, and our finding such stickers inside our buckets will, from this day forward, always result in zero weight–based credit for the contents of the buckets they are found in, regardless of the number of stickers found.

To be clear, this change will apply to all buckets picked up from our Residential subscribers (both Pickup and Drop-Off) after today, including those we will be picking up tomorrow (Sunday, 3/12/2023).

PLEASE NOTE: The contents of bags we receive outside of our buckets, which may contain high-carbon materials such as plain/matte paper and cardboard, will not be affected by this policy change at this time. What this means is that, for the time being, a subscriber may receive zero credit for the contents of their bucket, while still receiving credit for the Acceptable Materials inside said bags. This policy is, however, subject to change at any time.

Subscribers are, if not already doing so, strongly encouraged to remove all produce stickers, rubber bands, twist ties, etc. from fresh produce as soon as they get it home, to dramatically reduce the chances of these contaminants finding their way into their buckets, and costing them credit for the rest of their bucket contents.

While this change will affect our Leaderboard (www.GBCompost.com/Leaderboard) updates we perform each week, it should be noted that we will not be emailing subscribers to notify them of whether they’ve received zero credit for their bucket contents, as we simply do not have the time or resources to do so. Likewise, we will not necessarily be taking photos of all contamination we find in buckets going forward, nor emailing subscribers about such contamination (unless we deem it necessary for us to do so).

Subscribers are encouraged to check the Leaderboard at regular intervals to keep track of their own credits from week to week. If a subscriber would like to know what, if any, credit they’ve received for any particular bucket, they may contact us (www.GBCompost.com/Contact) to inquire about this.

If you have any questions or concerns about this policy change, please let us know. We are always here to help.

Until next time, best wishes and happy composting!

Greener Bay Compost featured in the Green Bay Press-Gazette

We are excited to announce that Greener Bay Compost has been featured in an article by the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ariel Perez, dated 2/23/2023, highlighting our partnership with companies such as Bellin Health and NWTC.

You may view the article in full at: https://www.greenbaypressgazette.com/story/money/2023/02/23/nwtc-bellin-health-use-green-bay-compost-service-to-reduce-food-waste/69848007007/

Greener Bay Compost founder Cory Groshek pitches Public-Private Partnership to the City of De Pere’s Sustainability Commission

Greener Bay Compost founder Cory Groshek was proud to pitch to the City of De Pere’s Sustainability Commission, during their 12/13/2022 meeting, a Public-Private Partnership between Greener Bay Compost and the City of De Pere.

This meeting may be viewed in full by clicking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhtJitUN1hQ, or by watching the video embedded below:

If you would like to cut directly to the part of the meeting where our founder is introduced, you can do so on YouTube at 1:40 into the video by clicking https://youtu.be/VhtJitUN1hQ?si=-8WC6jLhXxC3qxXI&t=100, or by watching the video embedded below:

New $15/month Residential Compost Pickup & Drop-Off Services debuting January 1st, 2023

As a follow-up to our “Price Changes” announcement from yesterday, we are happy to announce that, effective January 1st, 2023, we will be debuting new, Once-a-Month versions of our Residential Compost Pickup and Drop-Off Services, so that we can continue to provide service to Residential subscribers who are unable to pay more than $15.00/month for our services.

These new services will see us perform just one Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup for subscribers to them per month, for just $15.00/month.

We believe that many of our current subscribers may be a good fit for these new plans, especially those whose households routinely produce less than 10 pounds of organic waste each week.

That said, if you reside in a household that produces, on average, 15-20+ pounds of waste each week, we highly recommend sticking with one of our $20/month services (either our Residential Compost Pickup Service, or our Residential Compost Drop-Off Service) going into the new year, as for just $5 extra per month, you will be entitled to at least two Bucket Swap/Compost Pickups each month under these plans.

If you would like to switch, as January of 2023 (or whenever your first renewal date will be in the new year) to one of these new, less expensive plans, all you need to do is contact us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact to let us know that you would like to make the switch and we will set up the switch to occur automatically and coordinate your new Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup schedule with you as we get closer to your transition date.

Please note: Our Add-a-Bucket option will be available to subscribers of either of these new plans, at the same price as they will be to all other Residential subscribers, which is $12.50/month, per bucket. Also, If you are currently signed up for email reminders with us, you will continue to receive email reminders from us on the day prior to your monthly Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup days under this new plan.

If you have any questions about these new plans, you may contact us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Until next time, best wishes and happy composting!

Price changes coming January 1st, 2023

Effective January 1st, 2023, we will be implementing modest price increases across our suite of services, to account for increased operational costs and ensure the profitability of Greener Bay Compost.

The Residential price increases will be as follows:

• Our Residential Compost Pickup Service will increase from $15 to $20/month.
• Our Residential Compost Drop-Off Service will increase from $15 to $20/month.
• Our Residential Add-A-Bucket option will increase from $10 to $12.50/month, per bucket.
• Our Residential “Special, One-Time Bucket Swaps” will increase from $7.50 to $10/swap.
• Our Residential “Make-Up Bucket Swaps” will increase from $5 to $6.50/swap.

The Commercial (Small Business) price increases will be as follows:

• Our Small Business Compost Pickup Service (2 buckets per week) will increase from $60 to $70/month.
• Our Small Business Compost Pickup Service (3 buckets per week) will increase from $70 to $85/month.
• Our Small Business Compost Pickup Service (4 buckets per week) will increase from $80 to $100/month.
• Our Small Business Add-a-Bucket option will increase from $10 to $15/month, per bucket.

What this means for you

When your service with us renews, on or after January 1st, 2023, your service will be automatically renewed at our new prices, as detailed above, unless you contact us prior to said price increases taking effect to make changes to your service.

Please note: For subscribers who are still in the midst of a Six-Months-Paid-in-Full plan term, our new prices will take effect at the end of said term, whenever that may be, when they are transitioned to a Month-to-Month payment plan (which we have previously indicated such subscribers would be, in an email from this past July).

If you have any questions or concerns about these price changes or anything else, you may contact us using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Thank you for your continued support and for helping us make Green Bay a little greener every day! We love and appreciate you very much.

Until next time, best wishes and happy composting!

Greener Bay Compost featured in the Press Times for its Recycling Excellence Award win

We are excited to announce that Greener Bay Compost has been featured in an article by the City of Green Bay’s official newspaper, the Press Times, dated 11/28/2022, highlighting our 2022 Wisconsin DNR Recycling Excellence Award win.

You may view the article in full at: https://gopresstimes.com/2022/11/28/two-green-bay-businesses-receive-wisconsin-recycling-excellence-awards/

Major upgrades to our Rewards Programs for subscribers!

Effective immediately, we have made two major upgrades to the rewards programs we offer our subscribers (www.GBCompost.com/Rewards):

1. We have doubled the discount we offer all subscribers on our compost (including our gallon-sized and cubic foot bags) from 10% to 20%.
   
   What this means for you:  You can now get compost at “bulk discount”-like pricing on as few or as many bags of our product as you would like, exclusively at GBCompost.com/Compost!

   To put this into perspective, this means a single cubic foot bag can be had for $23.99 and a gallon-sized bag can be had for $4.80! These prices, for the record, are actually better than the Black Friday deals we just announced to the general public this morning on social media.

   (Please note: Subscribers are allowed to use this discount to buy compost on behalf of anyone else they’d like to, including friends and family, with the catch being that they, themselves, must be the ones placing the order/making the compost request.)

2. We have relaunched our old Referral Rewards Program, which rewards existing subscribers for referring new subscribers to us with bags of compost!
   
   What this means for you: For every new subscriber you refer to us, as long as  they list you (our subscriber) by name in the “Referred by” section of their subscription sign-up page, you will earn a free one-gallon bag of our compost!

   We intend to deliver these earned bags of compost inside of our five gallon buckets on regularly scheduled Bucket Swap/Compost Pickup days, unless a subscriber would like their compost earlier, in which case we may meet them at the Green Bay Plaza in west Green Bay, on a date and a time that works well for us both, to deliver the compost.

   Please note that as part of this relaunch, we are discontinuing our Partner Program (which has not actually resulted in a single referral to us since its launch several months ago), and rendering any coupon/referral codes created under said program void, effectively immediately.

If you have any questions or concerns about these reward program upgrades, please let us know by using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Greener Bay Compost wins Wisconsin DNR’s 2022 Recycling Excellence Award for “Overall Program”

We are proud to announce that we have been awarded the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ (DNR) 2022 Recycling Excellence Award for “Overall Program,” thanks in large part to our cornerstone Residential Compost Pickup Service.

Per the Wisconsin’s DNR’s website:

The Department of Natural Resources recognizes outstanding recycling and waste minimization efforts through its annual Recycling Excellence Award program.

The DNR offers the Recycling Excellence Awards not only in recognition of efforts made but also as a way of highlighting ideas with proven track records that others might use to improve their recycling endeavors.

The “Overall Program” category of the Awards recognizes programs that are robust and constantly improving, demonstrating a commitment to advance the overall recycling/diversion program.

To read more about our winning of this award, you may visit the following websites:

Wisconsin Recycling Excellence Awards (Wisconsin DNR)

Two Green Bay Programs Receive Wisconsin Recycling Excellence Award (Green Bay News Network)

DNR Celebrates Wisconsin Recycling Excellence Award Winners On America Recycles Day (Baldwin Bulletin)

HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT: We are now accepting Cooked Meat & Solid Dairy!

We have a HUGE ANNOUNCEMENT to make! Effectively immediately, we are now accepting in our buckets the following organic materials:

• Cooked meat (including beef, poultry, pork, fish, etc.) (no bones!)
• Solid dairy (cheese slices, powder, etc.) (melted is ok)

Please note: We are still not accepting raw meat (including raw fish/sushi) or what we refer to as “soft dairy” (milk, yogurt, sour cream, etc.), unless it is in small amounts on/in, or baked into, other foods.

This means we will now take, for example, and just to name a few things, the following items (because we know we will get questions about this):

• Restaurant leftovers (minus any bones)
• Mac n Cheese (made with either powdered cheese mixed with milk or pre-made cheese sauce)
• Lasagna, spaghetti, fettuccine, etc., including with alfredo sauce, ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, etc. on/in it
• Pizza (with all the toppings still on it)
• Chips like Doritos, which are covered in cheese powder
• Tacos, burritos, enchiladas, etc., even if they have some melted cheese sauce, a little sour cream, etc. on them
• Cheeseburgers
• Chicken nuggets/fingers
• Green, moldy cheese
• Entire containers full of homemade meals (like that casserole from last Thanksgiving you forgot you made) that went bad in the back of your fridge

If it hasn’t become apparent yet, what we are doing here is a real game-changer for both us and our subscribers, and we have our friends at Glass Nickel Pizza to thank, in large part, for prompting this change. You see, when we took them on as a subscriber a few months again, we made an exception for them by allowing them to provide us cooked meat and solid dairy, because it wouldn’t make sense for them to compost with us if we couldn’t take such things from them.

Fast-forward to today, and we have determined that, with our compost site being in the Town of Lessor, as opposed to where it used to be (in my backyard), we no longer need to be concerned about attracting rodents or about “offensive odors,” and are thus able to safely accept cooked meat and solid dairy from all our subscribers, without fear of running afoul of Green Bay metropolitan area ordinances.

In accordance with this announcement, we have updated our List of Acceptable & Not Acceptable Materials, which you can find at https://www.GBCompost.com/List/.

(Please note: The above link can also be found at the bottom of the homepage of www.GBCompost.com)

PLEASE DELETE AND/OR RECYCLE ANY OLD COPIES OF THE LIST YOU MAY BE USING OR REFERRING TO AND REPLACE THEM WITH THIS ONE.

This change to our list of of materials we accept is the biggest, most impactful change we have ever made to said list, and we hope it will do a few things:

1. Add major value for all of our Residential subscribers, who can now safely (and sustainably) dispose of a much larger percentage of their household food waste with us (including materials that even the Wisconsin DNR doesn’t recommend anyone attempt to compost in their own backyards)
2. Increase the amount of organic material we receivefrom some subscribers by upwards of 25-33% or more, thus making it easier for those who perhaps do not produce a lot of veggie or fruit waste to justify using our services long-term
3. Massively increase the volume of food waste we save from landfill and compost every month, thereby making our business greener than it has ever been and providing us much more feedstock for our finely sifted, premium compost (for sale now at GBCompost.com/Compost)
4. Pave the way for us to bring on many more Small Business subscribers, in particular, restaurants (like Glass Nickel Pizza, currently our sole Small Business subscriber), for whom meat and cheese waste makes up quite a large percentage of what they throw in the trash every week

If you have any questions or concerns about this announcement, please let us know by using any of the contact methods available at www.GBCompost.com/Contact.

Until next time, best wishes and happy composting!

Greener Bay Compost founder Cory Groshek pitches city-supported Compost Pilot Program to the City of Green Bay’s Sustainability Commission

Greener Bay Compost founder Cory Groshek was proud to pitch to the City of Green Bay’s Sustainability Commission, during their 10/19/2022 meeting, a Compost Pilot Program to the City of Green Bay.

This meeting may be viewed in full by clicking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0spYfixnt4k, or by watching the video embedded below:

If you would like to cut directly to the part of the meeting where our founder is introduced, you can do so on YouTube at 1:41 into the video by clicking https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0spYfixnt4k?t=101, or by watching the video embedded below: