The Great
Pumpkin Pitch
of 2024 with GoZERO

Pumpkin composting season is just around the corner, and we want to be in touch with GoZERO’s options for fielding the “Great Pumpkin Pitch of 2024.” … It tends to happen at food waste compost drop off stations whether programming is done around it or not.

This year we have three options for you. We’re really excited about option #3.

OPTION #1 – Do nothing.

If you host a food waste compost drop off station, with relative ease,  GoZERO can simply picked up pumpkins from around drop off station carts when pumpkins have over run carts placed.

This year as in the past, in order to help cover the additional time and effort it takes to get pumpkins from the ground into the service truck and eventually into the compost pile.. we’ll add however many additional carts worth of pumpkins are disposed of at that service visit to your monthly invoice. This year we will be assessing an additional $15 handling fee for each cart worth of pumpkins we have to pick up off the ground in addition to charging the regular per cart rate for those pumpkins. So, it might make more sense to request a couple extra carts for the season.

If you’d like to discourage pumpkin pitching at a drop off station you host in order to avoid additional costs, ( ..even though it breaks our hearts a little.. ) we recommend reaching out to your respective communities via all the typical channels and posting signs at the station itself with ‘pumpkin pitching prohibited please’ messaging as appropriate.

OPTION #2 – Request a few GoZERO carts just for pumpkins for the season.

This may be of interest if you’ve been thinking about establishing a drop off station and would like to try a seasonal pilot program, but definitely if you are currently hosting one in order to avoid over running your carts too much. Carts can be placed in time for Halloween (the last week of Oct) until after the Thanksgiving transition to Christmas has passed (the second week of Dec).

Get in touch soon if you’d like a few GoZERO carts for the pumpkin season?

OPTION #3 – Place one or more roll off boxes for pumpkin composting.

Whether you host a food waste compost drop off station or not, place a box to be communicated about and signs posted at, inviting people to dispose of their pumpkins and other incidental compostable fall decorations.

Due to logistics and the fact that viable composting outlets are still relatively few and far between (We’re working on that.), the number of roll off boxes and rates we’ve been able to make available for 2024 programming like this are limited.

This year we can place a 20 cubic yard box in the counties listed below to be used for pumpkin composting the last week of October through the second week of December for the rates listed. If this initial box fills up and an additional box is needed sometime in November, an empty box can be swapped for the full one for less than the cost of the initial box placement and collection.

In order to make budgeting and planning easier, these are “all in rates” including transportation, box rental, tip fees for tonnage, and all other typical fees. Program promotions, gross non-compostable contamination, equipment damage, or other unintended uses are not included, but having done this a couple years now, these programs tend to be the type of low key, high impact, “end the year on a high note” engagements that are fun to do.

Box Placement & Collection Rates While Supplies Last

  • Clermont County $3600

  • Franklin County  (ask for a quote in surrounding counties) $2200

  • Fulton County $1400

  • Hamilton County (as well as  Butler & Warren Counties) $3200

  • Logan County $1500

  • Lucas County $1700

  • Montgomery County (as well as  Greene & Clark Counties) $2300

  • Wood County $1900

Thanks as always for considering compost. Please be in touch via support@gozero.org to reserve your box, request carts, or for more information.

Yours,
David
Founder & Executive Director
GoZERO Services, Food Waste Compost Courier