We try to keep our composting services simple — You save your scrap and we collect it to be composted at one of our facilities. — The way our services work for your individual needs is nuanced but we’re here to help!

Take a look at our basic plan structure to get a feel for what our services offer.

Are you interested in Drop - stations? Take a look at our scrap solutions for individuals!

We are so excited that you want to start a composting program in your community and we are here to help every step of the way. 

There are a couple of factors that affect the success of a community food scrap drop-off station and since we want all composting efforts to be successful, we want to cover all of our bases. 

Typically, community food scrap drop-off stations are sponsored or hosted by an organization like a restaurant, school, or local government. And they require some monitoring to assure they’re being operated appropriately. If your community composting dreams align with the needs of a successful drop-off station, we want to hear from you. In the meantime, check out our informational guide to starting a community food scrap drop-off station!

Over the years we have developed a few rules of thumb to estimate service needs. For a quick reference…

• 1 compost cart per 2.5 cubic yards of trash generated
• 1 cart per 2,000 meals served
• 1 cart per 700 meals when compostable serviceware is used
• 1 cart per 100 people for paper towel composting in offices or schools

However, exact service needs can be unique to each location. Visit out start up guide to learn more about our services!

Yes, GoZERO offers depackaging services. However, depackaging is significantly more complex than simply collecting and composting source-separated food waste. We offer the service on a more limited basis, not typically part of routine service routes.

Also, depackaging is commonly confused with sorting. If there's a circumstance where a party wants to throw all their food and packaging waste into a heavily commingled receptacle and have it composted, that usually requires a sorting service, which GoZERO typically isn't able to offer.

Knowing the expected locations, volumes, weights, makeup/contents, and sharing pictures of the actual material you'd like depackaged and composted will be the first step in determining whether depackaging is a good fit.

If you think depackaging services may be a good fit for you, contact us. We want to help save scrap everywhere we can!

Accurately reporting customer contamination while performing on-site service is fundamental to our courier business. GoZERO uses a 5-point contamination scale when reporting contamination in the Service Visit form. The scale breaks down as follows:

• 5 - Perfect!  No visible contamination.

• 4 - Incidental contamination found but it's tolerable. The volume of contamination appears to either be light or easily removable (think a single bag of recyclables on at the top). Pictures are not necessary but if this is a consistent or continuous issue, take pictures and note specifics in the notes.

• 3 - Significant contamination found, not tolerable. Calculated either by total volume of contaminants or the degree to which they are commingled. Pictures and notes required.

• 2 - Serious contamination found. Carts cannot be received without on-site sorting. Pictures and notes required.

• 1 - Fully contaminated. Carts not serviced and left for the customer to empty.  

It's important to take into account both the actual amount of contamination visible (as a percent of the total volume), and how co-mingled the contamination appears to be. For example, 50 k-cups take up very little volume but spread throughout a cart represents a much larger problem. Conversely, a single large bag of contaminants may take up a larger portion of a cart but be easily removed.

Some service sites have different outputs throughout the year. We do our best to accommodate our customers' needs. If additional carts are needed due to the output during a specific period, please let us know in advance.

If we see more carts being used than we have on site, the following process will be taken:

1. Our drivers will take pictures of the compost carts on site. If there is overage, they will empty the full carts and add the "additional compostable material" to the empty compost carts to determine how much additional material there is. This way, we can give the site the correct weight and volume. The data will be shared with the Support Manager, and they will reach out within 1-2 business days to determine whether a cart count change is needed.

2. The second time we are on site and there is additional material outside the carts, the driver will empty the full carts, place the additional material in the empty carts, and determine how much additional material there is.  When this happens, a $14 fee will be charged for each additional cart used.

3. Our customer support team will reach out to discuss the matter with you and inform you of the additional charge and any changes to your service or cart count.

We would love it if every business and every individual had access to composting services but each usage case is different. If you or someone you know is interested in our services please feel free to reach out.

If you’ve already made up your mind and you’re ready to get an estimate just fill out our estimate request form and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.