When and where do I place my bucket on collection days?

We will inform you of your pickup days by sending email and/or text reminders the day before pick-up. We ask customers to place bucket(s) by your curb away from trashcans so they are not mistaken as trash.

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At collection, will I get my same bucket back or do you swap it out with another bucket?

On pick-up days, we empty out your bucket right into the Rot Mobile, give it a good wipe down with a vinegar-water solution, and return it back to you!

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Should I line the inside of my bucket with a bag?

Yes! We tell all of our customers to line their buckets with a brown paper grocery bags to make clean up easier. Paper bags also help keep organics from freezing to your bucket in the wintertime. Tossing some extra paper or cardboard (not glossy) on the bottom is always a good idea too ;) We sell paper bag bundles on our online shop, accessible through your customer portal.

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Can I use compostable liners for my bucket instead of paper bags?

Yes you can, but we prefer paper bags. Make sure the compostable bags are BPI certified. We also sell them on our online shop, accessible through your customer portal.

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How many buckets do I need?

The trial month is a great time to learn how much food waste your family creates! We tell our customers.... if you cook often or eat alot of fruits and veggies, use a lot of paper products and other large amounts of organics, you may need two... or three buckets.  You can always switch to another subscription to fit your compost needs.

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Can I put baked items in my bucket, even though they have eggs and dairy cooked inside?

Yes! Crackers, cookies, cakes, pastries, breads, pancakes, french toast... it can all go in.

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Will rodents and ants get into my bucket?

If you keep your lid on tight, no odors will ecscape and will not attract unwanted creatures.

We also suggest cleaning up after any spills or sticky fingerprints when opening and closing your bucket.  Just a quick vinegar-water wipe down should do the trick!  Using soap on the outside of your bucket is fine too.

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Should I keep my bucket inside or outside?

Either is fine! You can keep your bucket outside by your back door, in your garage, in your kitchen closet, under your kitchen sink.  I place mine under my sink for easy access when cooking and scraping meal leftovers. Using a counter top compost bin is also convienent especially when placing buckets outside. Just empty your counter bin in bucket when full!  A great job for your kiddos! We sell some counterbins on our online shop too... accessible via your customer portal.
 

Can I put "compostable" packaging and other items in my bucket?

If the packaging says it is certified for backyard or commercial composting sites, than yes... EXCEPT "compostable" utensils.  They do not break down well in our piles. 

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When do I get my finished bag of compost?

Every Spring, usually early April, we offer a Give-Back to our customers.  Each costumer receives one 30 lb bag of compost which will be delivered to them around that time.

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Can I get more than 1 bag of compost?

Yes you can! Additional bags can be purchased on our online store via your customer portal.  

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Do you offer compost only in the Spring?

Compost bags are only for sale from April 1st. to October 31st. This might change each year.

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What can I do with my finished compost?

• Make a garden bed with your compost and direct sow your seeds!

• Use when adding plants and trees to your garden. If digging into your native soil, backfill with a mixture of 1/3 compost to 2/3rds native soil

• Pot out door plants by mixing compost with your native soil, 1:1 ratio

• Use as your seed starter soil!... tongue twister!!!

• Layer 2 inches of compost over your garden beds each Spring.

• Sprinkle about 1/2 in. of compost in your indoor potted plants.

• Sprinkle over your grass!

• Make compost tea, and use to water plants, trees, garden beds or grass!

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Sometimes I see produce stickers in my returned, finished compost... why?

We ask that all of our customers remove all produce stickers, twist-ties, and rubberbands from their produce.  The reason is, when we screen the finished compost to catch and remove larger materials before returning it to our customers, the produce stickers are too small and fall right through the screen. So, please, remove all stickers before placing in your buckets!

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Should I save the bag my finished compost came in?

Yes! You can return your bags to us by placing them underneath your bucket at pickup days

Or, you can use them for your own gardening purposes.... or place your kids soccer shoes in them, or cornhole bags, beach gear... whatever you want!

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Why are you using plastic bags for finished compost? Doesn't that controdict your waste reduction argument?

We use the plastic sand bags to handle the weight of the compost, making it more maneagable for customers. It also keeps the compost from drying out too fast but allows some airflow which is necessary for the survivial of the benificial microbes and insects. We ask that customers return the bags when finished so they can be used again. Just place under bucket on your collection day!

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In the future, we are hoping to move away from plastic bags and offer Compost Pick-Up Days. Basically a BYOC (Bring Your Own Container) to a designated location where you can receive your compost! A great way for Rot Stars to meet and chat with the team, exchange some ideas while reinforceing our zero waste mission!  

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Can I cancel anytime or am I locked in for a selected amount of time?

You can cancel anytime! Even if you payed for an annual membership, you can stop service anytime you want and we will reimburse you the difference! There are no cancellation fees either.

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I forgot my pickup day!  Can you come collect my bucket scraps in the next few days?

We no longer offer return pickups due to it's extremely inefficiency and fuel waste/cost.

We send out email, and/or text reminders the day before your scheduled pickup to avoid such occurances. Always a good idea to set additional reminders for yourself too. 

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My bucket is missing.  What do I do?

That is the worst! We go bonkers when buckets decide to take a walk!  But... unfortunately, it has been known to happen and we are not responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged buckets. There is a $12 bucket replacement charge so please keep your buckets in safe locations and bring them in soon after your collection!

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How should I clean my bucket if I can't use household cleaners?

We suggest using natural ingredients like baking soda and vinegar!  The baking soda acts as a deodorizer as well as a light abrasive, and the vinegar's acedic acid breaks down grease and dirt while also killing bacteria.  Add some water to dilute the vinegar.  

Try making a vinegar spray bottle with 1:5 ratio of vinegar to water with a few drops of your favorite essential oil! 

I like to leave my clean bucket outside with the lid off for a few hrs. too.  It always helps!

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What if I have extra compostable material to be collected in addition to my bucket?

That's fine, we suggest enclosing extra food scraps in another sealed container to avoid rodents.

Dry garden debris can be placed in a paper bag but it must be dry. If it is wet, not sealed or has been tampered with, we will not take it. We charge $5 for every < 5 gallon worth of additional scraps. 

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Do you take pizza boxes?

Yes, we take pizza boxes! Pizza boxes are not recyleable... but they are compostable!! Just stack them underneath your bucket on pickup day.

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What if I need to skip my pick up? 

Receive $5 back with each scheduled SKIP pickup!  Just go to your customer portal to  Skip Service then select the upcoming dates you will not need service!  This is also our vacation policy.

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Do you pick-up yard waste?

Yes. Contents must be in a brown paper, yard/leaf bag and completely dry.  Please contact us for an estimate and to schedule a collection date.

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