Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We have collected our most commonly received questions, if you can't find what you're looking for reach out to us here and our team will happily assist you.
Composting 101 & Impact
Compost itself is organic material that can be added to soil to help plants grow. Composting is the natural decomposition process that breaks down organic waste and recycles their vital nutrients back into the soil.
Food and yard waste make up about 30% of what we throw away. When these organic materials are sent to landfills their breakdown releases methane gas, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting can help reduce methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint.
Composting benefits our ecosystem. It creates a nutrient rich fertilizer that enriches and strengthens the soil by helping retain moisture and suppressing plant diseases and pests. This helps promote healthy plant growth! The use of compost reduces the need for chemical fertilizers and pesticides that can contaminate our soil and water sources. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides run off into our waters and cause toxic algae blooms and red tides.
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Waste Collection
- Raw fruits and vegetables
- Crushed eggshells
- Nut shells
- Coffee grounds and paper filters
- Paper tea bags and leaves (no staples)
- Houseplants
- Glass clippings
- Yard trimmings
- Hay and straw
- Leaves
- Shredded newspaper
- Shredded cardboard
- Shredded paper
- Sawdust
- Wood chips
- Dairy products (cheese, yogurt, eggs, butter, etc.)
- Fats, grease, oils or lard
- Meat, fish or bones
- Diseased or insect-ridden plants
- Coal or charcoal ash
- Pet waste or litter
- Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides
- Plastics, foil, glass or metals
- Liquids
- Facial or toilet tissues
- Hand or face wipes
- Cotton balls or swabs
- Cigarette butts
- Leaves from walnut trees
Our team is trained to spot contamination and remove it from the compost steam. If contamination is noted during service, we will remove the contaminant and you will receive an email and a physical tag on your bin to let you know what was not compostable in your bin and why. If the contamination is severe, we may deem your bin unserviceable. If contamination is ongoing with no improvement, contamination fees may be assessed.
If your bin starts to smell, just let us know and we will replace it for a clean one at your next scheduled pick-up. In the meantime, you can try these things to neutralize or prevent odors by:
- minimizing moisture or wet items
- adding dry materials like shredded newspaper, paper scraps, coffe grounds, dry leaves or shredded cardboard
- minimizing exposure to heat and sunlight by keeping your bin in a cool place
Of course! Feel free to share your bin with roommates or neighbors. We only ask that you do not overfill the bin to the point where the lid cannot be properly locked. If you will be sharing, you may want to consider choosing our weekly pick-up plan to better accommodate you.
Pick-up Service
Your compost bin should be placed outside by 9PM the night before your scheduled pick-up.
On pick-up days our team will come by to collect your compost and will leave you with a new, clean bin and liner. You can expect pick-up to be completed before noon (12pm), so you can retrieve your bin by then! You will be notified if there is a delay or if we are unable to collect your compost for any reason that day. In those scenarios we will attempt to reschedule your pick-up as soon as possible.
We make an effort to send out reminders so that you don't miss your pick-ups. In the case that you do, it will do our best to collect it as soon as possible within the next week.
If your bin is damaged or stolen, please notify us here as soon as possible! We will replace the bin at a cost.
Once your waste is collected, our team sifts through it to remove potential contaminants and protect the health and integrity of the compost pile. The scraps are then composted at our Homestead location.
When the compost is ready, earth-smelling and fluffy, we give it back to our members (who want it) and donate the rest to our local community gardens, farms, and others.
We hope to reach you soon and are working on adding more locations! To help us grow, please let us know which area we should do next in this form. Once we expand our service areas we will notify you!
Scheduling & Account Management
You can pause your subscription or skip a scheduled pick up through your Soilmate portal.
If you choose to skip the upcoming pick-up, you must do so at least 48 hours in advance. Log into your account on our website and click on Skip payment under the Billing Schedule tab. It will skip the upcoming pick-up and we will notify you about your next pick up date.
You can pause your subscription if you need to skip more than one pick up day. You must pause your subscription at least 48 hours in advance of your next pick up. Log into your account and click Pause my subscription. When you pause services, you can update the date to when you will return and resume services.
The charges for the month will be adjusted accordingly when you skip or pause services. There are no limits on how often you can pause or skip
You may change your service plan as needed in order to accommodate your lifestyle! It can be done through your account portal under the Subscriptions tab by clicking edit. There you can select the plan that's fitting for you.
You can update your personal information through your account portal. If you need to update your contact information, such as email address or phone numbers, just click edit in the Contact tab. If you need to update your home address, click edit in the Shipping tab. If your new address falls outside of our service area, you may not be able to continue with our services. A change of address may also result in a change of pick-up schedule. Wew will notify you of any changes in either scenario.
In order to update your payment information, click on the edit button in the Payment Method tab. An email will then be sent to the email address associated to your account where you can update your payment details.
You can cancel your membership at any time. This can be done via your account in our portal. Log into your account and lick on the Cancel my subscription tab shown on your account homepage. Cancellations must be done at least 48 hours before the next billing cycle. No refunds can be given if payment for the month has already been applied.