Title
Residential Curbside Composting - WasteNot Compost
History
The Conservation & Sustainability Advisory Board has been actively exploring options for establishing residential composting services within the Village. This report details WasteNot Compost, a leading provider of compost collection services, and presents the Advisory Board's recommendation.
Founded in 2015, WasteNot Compost offers compost collection services for homes, businesses, and events. A cornerstone of WasteNot's operations is its commitment to sustainability by operating a fleet of 100% electric vehicles. Other haulers, such as Waste Management, do not offer this specific type of composting service.
For residential collection, WasteNot primarily utilizes a 5-gallon bucket system. This system features an airtight lid and employs a "swap method," meaning residents receive a completely clean and industrially sanitized receptacle with each service. Pickups are efficient, conducted at the “end of drive” or at the front door. A centralized drop-off location at a Village facility is another service delivery option. However, the Advisory Board is not currently recommending the drop-off service.
More than 10 Chicagoland municipalities have partnered with WasteNot, including Glencoe, Morton Grove, Palos Park, Evergreen Park, and Oak Lawn.
At their June 25th meeting, the Advisory Board unanimously approved a motion recommending the Village Board to consider an exclusive hauler arrangement with WasteNot for residential composting as generally outlined in the attached quote.
Financial Impact
There is no cost to the Village if an exclusive hauler agreement is adopted. Nor would the Village be responsible for customer billing. Residents would contract directly with WasteNot, which offers a customer portal to facilitate payments. The Village would collaborate with WasteNot to promote the service.
As proposed, this is an opt-in service, which means residents can choose whether to participate or not. An exclusive hauler agreement unlocks two benefits for residents: cost savings and more collection options. Specifically, participating residents would save $7/month and have the option to select either biweekly or weekly service.
Non-exclusive hauler pricing:
o Biweekly service (5-gallon bucket): $27 per month.
o Weekly service is not available for non-exclusive hauling.
Exclusive hauler pricing:
o Biweekly service (5-gallon bucket): $20 per month.
o Weekly service (5-gallon bucket: $30 per month.
Recommended Action/Motion
Staff recommends the Village Board consider an exclusive hauler agreement with WasteNot for residential composting.