MAJOR UPDATE to our Paper/Cardboard Policy (and a Related Update to Our List of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials)

Effective immediately, our List of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials (which can be viewed and downloaded at www.GBCompost.com/List) has been updated, for the second time this week, due, in part, to feedback we received on the last update we made to it, as well as to correspond with a MAJOR UPDATE we have just made to our paper/cardboard policy.

PLEASE DELETE AND/OR DESTROY ANY PREVIOUS COPIES OF THE LIST YOU MAY POSSESS AND REPLACE WITH OUR NEW ONE.

The most major changes to the List today have to do with our new policy on paper and cardboard items:

First and foremost, what most people would consider cardboard (the “corrugated” kind, with air pockets built into it) is now on the Not Acceptable side of the list. As such, cardboard is effectively banned by us.

We have made the decision to ban cardboard for several reasons, chief among them being that a significant percentage of the cardboard we have been receiving as of late has been contaminated with tape, unacceptable chemical-based glues, and small pieces of styrofoam.

Going forward, we recommend all our subscribers recycle their cardboard in the recycling bins provided by their Municipality, landlord, or private waste hauler.

Secondly, with regard to paper, we are moving to a very specific list of plain/matte paper items we will accept, which includes only the following items:

• Coffee filters
• Egg cartons
• Napkins
• Newspaper (no shiny inserts!)
• Paper bags (including fast food & grocery store bags)
• Paper plates
• Paper towels
• Pizza/food boxes and frozen pizza “rounds”
• Tea bags/tags (no staples and no “pyramid” bags!)
• Toilet paper/paper towel tubes

We are limiting our acceptance of paper to the above items for several reasons. Most notably, we would like to focus, going forward, on composting paper items that are not traditionally recyclable (or accepted by our Brown County recycling authorities), such as greasy/food-soiled items or items with non-recyclable paper (such as toilet paper or paper towels) stuck to them. Secondarily, we would like to focus on composting paper items that are the easiest for us to process and which pose the lowest risk of contamination to our compost.

PLEASE NOTE: As before, we are still not accepting any paper that is shiny/glossy (meaning it has been coated with petroleum-based chemicals).

Also, as a reminder, we are still not accepting any paper that falls into the wax, “baking”/parchment, or “non-stick” category, including, but not limited to, butter wrappers or cupcake/muffin liners (even if they appear to the naked eye to be “plain” or “matte”).

We are also still not accepting receipts, which are made of toxic “thermal paper” (which is made with the chemical known as BPA).

Accordingly, we ask that our subscribers remove any of the above, Not Acceptable paper they may find attached to or inside of the paper items we will accept, prior to placing acceptable items in their Greener Bay Compost buckets.

To make compliance with our new paper and cardboard policy as easy as possible, we recommend that all subscribers assume their paper or cardboard items are Not Acceptable, unless they specifically find them listed on the Acceptable side of our updated List.

Regarding other changes we’ve just made to our List (which are really just minor clarifications), we have:

• Clarified that we accept both solid and soft dairy, meaning we will accept “soft” items such as cottage and ricotta cheese, yogurt, cream cheese, etc., in addition to “solid” items, such as cheese slices, cheese powder, blocks of cheese, shredded cheese, etc.
• Clarified that the list of vegetables we accept include “root veggies” like potatoes, sweet potatoes, etc., as well as beans/legumes (a category which includes dry beans, lentils, etc.)
• Clarified that flours and cake mixes are among the grain-based materials we will accept, in addition to things like breads, cereals, chips, crackers, pastas, taco shells, etc.

In conclusion, we would like to state that our paper/cardboard policy change is not a “knee-jerk decision” on our part and has been in consideration for many months now.

A major driver behind this change is our ongoing desire to make our program as simple as possible for both us and our subscribers. We also have a strong desire to combat contamination, protect the quality of the compost we produce, make our work more efficient, keep our operational costs down, and keep our prices as low as possible for our subscribers.

PLEASE NOTE: For the purposes of our Waste Reduction Rewards Program (www.GBCompost.com/Rewards), and from now through the end of April 2023, we will not be considering buckets “contaminated” (or giving zero credit for the weight of their contents) simply because they may contain a paper/cardboard item we were accepting of just prior to this most recently policy change. That said, we will begin enforcing our new paper/cardboard policy strictly with regard to any buckets we pick up on or after 5/1/2023. Accordingly, if any buckets we pick up on or after this date are found to contain Not Acceptable paper or cardboard items, they will be considered “contaminated” and the subscriber providing them to us will receive no weight-based credit for the contents of such buckets.

If there is any confusion about our updated List or our new paper/cardboard policies, or if there are any questions or concerns about them, subscribers are strongly encouraged to Contact Us with their questions/concerns, and we will respond promptly.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to make our program (and our company) better for you every day! We really appreciate it.

Until next time, best wishes and happy composting!

Our List of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials has been updated!

Effective immediately, our List of Acceptable and Not Acceptable Materials (which can be viewed and downloaded at www.GBCompost.com/List) has been updated!

PLEASE DELETE AND/OR DESTROY ANY PREVIOUS COPIES OF THE LIST YOU MAY POSSESS AND REPLACE WITH OUR NEW ONE.

Notable changes to the list (which we think you’ll love) include:

• Stickers, rubber bands, twist ties, etc. from fresh produce have now been placed at the very top of the Not Acceptable side of the list (as these contaminants, and particularly produce stickers, continue to be the most common contaminant we find in our buckets), with a recommendation to remove them from produce as soon as it is brought home
• Bones (as long as they are from cooked meat) are now acceptable (with the caveat that we do not want whole carcasses, such as Thanksgiving turkeys)
• To provide clarity, jams, jellies, preserves, maple and other types of syrups, nut butters, salsas, hummus, tahini, etc. have been added to the List as Acceptable
• To provide clarity, herbs have been added alongside fruits and vegetables (whole or scraps, raw or cooked) as Acceptable, with added emphasis about STICKERS NEEDING TO BE REMOVED
• To provide clarity, herbivorous animal/chicken bedding has been added alongside herbivorous animal/chicken droppings as Acceptable
• To provide clarity, we have updated the Not Acceptable side of the list to state that we do not accept either alcohol or fruits (such as apples, cherries, watermelon, etc.) soaked in alcohol, and to make clear that while we do not want vinegar poured into our buckets, we will accept pickled items such as eggs, mushrooms, and vegetables (including pickles)
• We have removed frosting from the Not Acceptable side of the list and updated the Acceptable side of the List to state that we accept bread and other baked goods (which encompasses things like cake, with or without frosting)
• To provide clarity, we have updated the Not Acceptable side of the List to state that we do not accept Large Amounts of Liquids or Oils, such as bacon grease, coffee, juice, kombucha, nut milks, pickle brine, tea, etc., but that a little bit is okay, such as on a paper towel, and that leakage from decomposing fruit/vegetable scraps is expected

If you have any questions or concerns about these changes to the List, or need additional clarification on the List as it now exists, please let us know. We are always here to help.

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)