How do GoZERO's Routine Services Work?

A Service Overview ( version 0.0.1 )

Introduction

Thanks and congratulations on taking another step toward food waste composting by reviewing this information! The prospect of setting up a composting program may be a bit daunting, but it doesn't have to be. 

This overview has been created to address the most common questions typically asked when considering a new food waste composting program before, during, and/or after decisions are made relating to signing up to have someone haul away food waste in order to have it composted elsewhere (i.e. food waste compost courier services).

Start with the below topics.

1. WHAT’S INCLUDED – What the service is and what it looks like on a regular basis.
2. HOW TO USE – Leadership, planning, and communication are key to set up and use.
3. WHEN TO USE – Consider material type, available resources, and viable alternatives.
4. TAILORING SERVICE – We’ve streamlined discovering what’s right for your location.
5. PROCESS OVERVIEW – There are getting started & staying successful best practices.
6. ISSUE RESOLUTION – Our approach to avoiding and addressing issues set us apart.

With these topics addressed, the vast majority of food waste composting program questions are accounted for. However, this is a work in progress, not an exhaustive or complete guide for every possible issue. If additional questions, issues, or ideas come up, please be in touch. We’d love to help and learn right along with you!

We’re excited about being a part of the emerging community of practitioners that exists around food waste composting together with you. Thanks for taking the time to sustainably dispose of your food waste!

Gratefully yours,

David Andre

Executive Director

GoZERO Services, Food Waste Compost Courier

WHAT’S INCLUDED ( Topic 1 of 6 )

What the service is and what it looks like on a regular basis.

Summary

On a location by location basis, GoZERO explains the food waste composting process, helps determine how much disposal service is needed, provides tips and tricks for source separating compostable items into provided containers, and then routinely empties and services those containers taking care to make sure collected material is composted offsite at a licensed facility and support is provided in order to assist in maintaining a successful onsite composting program.

What’s not included?

GoZERO focuses on providing disposal services not onsite program management. But service is built on the idea that, “If you can get your compostables to the containers, we can take it from there.” 

GoZERO provides a service. Support is available, but customers are responsible for establishing and maintaining onsite/in-house programing themselves. This approach typically creates better programming because it requires an outcomes focused approach from frontline leadership upfront.

In food waste composting programs there is no substitute for pragmatic grassroots understanding and buy-in due to the need for source separation of compostables from non-compostables. 

If frontline participants aren’t invested in source separating (i.e. making sure that compostable items go in composting receptacles and non-compostable items go into other appropriate receptacles), a composting program probably won’t work.

However, if location leadership communicates how and why to do composting properly and make composting as easy as possible to execute,, the foundation of a great program is in place. Once started, typically only minor refinements and ongoing support is needed as experience is gained.

What is included?

Once questions are answered, services are estimated and approved, and administrative logistics are accounted for, the program can move forward. Typically 1 to no more than 30 watertight, 22” x 24” x 42”, 64 gallon branded bright green plastic rollout carts each with a hinged lids, set of wheels, and compostable liner are delivered ahead of the onsite composting program kickoff date. Once the onsite program is kicked off and compostables are loaded into the carts, they’re routinely emptied and serviced on an open ended basis.

A routine service visit involves a truck showing up during regular hours in order to minimize disruption issues, sometimes as early as 7 AM the service date and typically not later than 7 PM the evening of the service date.

When the truck arrives the driver will assess the carts and material in them, taking pictures and recording several data points including but not limited to the number of carts serviced, total gallons collected, and total pounds collected.

Care and additional notes are taken if non-compostable contamination, low utilization, high utilization, or any other issue is found. After documentation is captured, carts are emptied into the truck and weather permitting as needed are washed with an onboard pressure washer and relined with a compostable liner. Rinse water is loaded into the truck.

Timeliness

The objective is to have executed services by 7 PM the evening of the service date. Sometimes due to delays, services may be executed a couple hours after that, but typically if there is any significant disruption GoZERO will coordinate in order to make sure locations have food waste to composting disposal access.

Passive Service 

Routine service assumes carts are passively accessible – not locked, behind gates/doors, or requiring any interaction with onsite personnel. Carts are typically best staged outside near other dumpsters. Adding any of these may result in additional fees to cover costs or prohibit service all together.

Volumes & Weights 

Volume and weight numbers are estimates. At some point load cells may become available for more accurate weight measurement. However, the current estimation protocol is found to be accurate with 2% and even that variance is adjusted for reporting.

Contamination

Non-compostable contamination is an ever present threat to the viability of any food waste composting program. GoZERO prides itself on having established some basic protocols for affiliatively coming alongside its customers in quantifying, objectifying, communicating, and supporting them in addressing non-compostable contamination. If non-compostable contamination is found, additional communication and support is provided in order to course correct.

However, if contamination persists beyond tolerable levels it may become necessary to modify programming, leave contaminated carts unserviced, or even charge additional fees to cover the cost of sorting out contamination. Considering these measures are managed in the context of partnership with customers, and the vast majority of the time it’s possible to address issues via internal and onsite coaching.  

Data Sharing

Data that is captured by the driver is complementarity made available to customers via a Google Drive spreadsheet. This has been found helpful in reporting and bragging on the good done through these programs.

Cart Swapping

In some instances like outer lying areas or with smaller cart count locations it is possible provide services with smaller trucks by way of swapping rather that tipping, washing, and lining carts. If this is possible, the service experience remains the same. The only thing that is slightly different is that carts are swapped rather than tipped in order to transport the food waste to a licensed composting facility.

HOW TO USE ( Topic 2 of 6 )

Leadership, planning, and communication are key to set up and use.

Summary

Setting up and managing a commercial or community food waste composting program can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. GoZERO is here to help.

Regardless your circumstance – identifying committed and capable program leadership who is willing work with all parties involved and focus on successful outcomes, planning out easy to use workflows and routines for program participants to engage and tailor, and communicating clearly all relevant whys and hows upfront and routinely ongoing will lay the foundation for a successful food waste composting program. 

For more detail check out our composting program setup guide. It is very much a work in progress. Please share with us what you think, and as you progress on your food waste composting journey please let us know what additional good ideas or gotchas are found along the way?

Community Organizing

One of the things GoZERO loves supporting most is communities coming together. If a group of businesses, a community garden, a municipality, or others want to self organize more than one party utilizing a single service location, so long as they can be serviced and paid for as a unit, we’re 100% onboard.

Our goal is to make composting more accessible, and while economics and logistics sometimes create barriers, creativity and working together usually can find a solution.

Onsite Cart Use

Sometimes GoZERO carts are cycled inside or across a campus or community. However, securing right sized receptacles for inhouse use and using compostable liners in those receptacles for cleanliness and as a built in pre-bagging containment mechanism is highly recommended. If GoZERO carts are cycled inside at any point, it’s strongly recommended that only empty carts be brought inside. Bringing a cart in from the outdoors which already has food waste in it may bring insects with it.

WHEN TO USE  ( Topic 3 of 6 )

Consider material type, available resources, and viable alternatives.

Viable Alternatives

GoZERO is not for everyone. If you can first reduce, donate, or compost onsite your food surpluses, do that!

However, most people don’t know how much food they waste and fewer still have the space or resources, much less the time, to compost themselves. In a world where there will probably always be banana peels and apple cores – starting with composting and then using the immediate measurable impacts as motivation for additional actions (eg. like being smarter about food purchasing as informed by what you see going out in your food waste compost) seems like a strong idea.

Composting is the “do good, feel good” that is easier than exercising or dieting, and when it’s combined with food donation and reduction, it’s even more powerful.

There’s wisdom to be gained from comparing composting to beer brewing. There are some people who enjoy and are good at brewing beer. However, there are many more who enjoy simply drinking it. In both the disposal of food waste and the use of finished compost, it’s GoZERO’s goal to create the simple enjoyment of both as accessible as possible for all.

In all of this, please reach out if GoZERO can be a help as a resource or making connections related to viable alternatives to our services. We do pay our bills by charging fees for our services. However, we are a nonprofit on a mission to get food waste out of landfills by inspiring active stewardship and we love reducing waste and finding the highest most beneficial use for what waste there is by any means possible.

Will as a Resource 

Where there’s a will there’s a way. What circumstances are ideal for GoZERO’s services? Parties that want to do good, believe they can, and are willing and able to spend the dollars needed to do the work are those who are a good fit for GoZERO’s services. Those who are willing to work to make sure the service is utilized, not contaminated with non-compostables, and gets the exposure it needs to be recognized as a point of pride with personnel, patrons, and constituents are where GoZERO works best.

The service costs money, but that’s what makes it sustainable, reproducible, and most importantly accessible when combined with onsite commitment. The service is broad spectrum and disposal centric which means that the focus is on making it easier for you to participate, not on cherry picking some material over others in order to make the composting process easier and more lucrative.

Materials Accepted

GoZERO is able to accept vegetative material like fruits, veggies, grains, baked goods, pastas, beans, yard waste, and wood waste as well as meat, bones, seafood, food grade grease and oils, all dairy, paper (including wax coated but not plastic coated paper and cardboard), certified compostable plastics made from plants, and even animal waste if you happen to have any. Due to regulation, and the specific problems we’re trying to solve, people poop is just about the only type of material that could compost that we’re not permitted to take, but we have friends who do if you need help with that.

This unusually long list of acceptable items is what we call “broad spectrum compostability,” and when combined with our disposal centricity and focus on customer service is a big part of what sets us apart from other food waste reduction and community engagement opportunities. It’s the not so secret sauce behind how we’re trying to get food waste out of landfills and inspire active stewardship.

We’ve made it all as simple and inclusive as possible and work hard to provide guidance where there are hard lines or pitfalls to beware of. If there is a higher, more beneficial use for a particular waste stream we’ll be excited to help you find it even if it means you’ll have a little less material to be composted. Our proudest moment is when a location needs less service after starting composting because they’ve figured out how to waste less.

TAILORING SERVICE  ( Topic 4 of 6 )

We’ve streamlined discovering what’s right for your location.

Cart Estimating

Even with an introductory usage based pilot (details below) figuring out some sense of how many containers are needed is part of getting started, and that’s exactly what we’ll explain here.

In the last several years a couple rules of thumb have emerged for estimating initial cart counts.

• Rule of Thumb #1 – For every 2.5 cubic yards of traditional trash generated one GoZERO 64 gallon food waste disposal cart may likely be needed. For example, if one 8 cubic yard dumpster of trash is emptied twice per week at your location, you may need 7 food waste carts of service per week to accommodate your compostable waste ( i.e. 8 cubic yard dumpster  x 2 times emptied per week  / 2.5 factor = 6.4 ... rounded up to the nearest whole cart is 7 carts per week)

• Rule of Thumb #2 – For every 2000 meals served one GoZERO 64 gallon food waste disposal cart may likely be needed. For example, if 500 meals are served at a location per day, 7 days per week, you may need two food waste carts of service per week to accommodate your compostable waste ( i.e. 500 meals per day x 7 days per week / 2000 meals per cart = 1.75 ... rounded up to the nearest whole cart is 2 carts per week )

• Rule of Thumb #3 – For situations where certified compostable serviceware is used the number of meals per cart is reduced to 700. So, for example if 500 meals are served per day at a location where certified compostable serviceware is used, 7 days per week, you may need five food waste carts of service per week to accommodate your compostable waste ( i.e. 500 meals per day x 7 days per week / 700 meals per cart = exactly 5 carts per week )

• Rule of Thumb #4 – If you have an office or school where you’d like to compost paper towels from restrooms, it’s a good idea to estimate one cart per week for every 100 people on location. For example, if you have an office of 100 people you may need one food waste carts of service per week to accommodate your paper towels ( i.e. 100 people / 100 people per cart = exactly 1 carts per week )

Determining Service Visit Frequency 

Once you have a sense of how many 64 gallon GoZERO food waste to composting disposal carts you may need per week you’ll want to determine if weekly, twice weekly or every other week service is right for you.

A couple points to consider are:

• Each cart takes up approximately a 2 foot by 2 foot area. While they are easily tucked along a wall or behind other dumpsters, in larger numbers they can take up a fair amount of space. Scheduling service more frequently will reduce the number of carts on site.

• Less frequent service with more carts is more cost effective. GoZERO’s fees closely mirror their costs on a per service visit basis, and every time the truck shows up the resources needed to get it there causes the first cart to always be the most expensive. For example, 3 carts serviced weekly will cost more than 6 carts serviced every other week even though the net amount of disposal services is the same.

• When temperatures are consistently above 50ºF insects may be found inside carts if they are serviced less frequently than weekly. Several practices can be implemented on site to discourage insects, and rarely do they become an issue much less a nuisance even when carts are serviced on an every other week basis. However, if you have a location which may be sensitive regarding the presence of insects or food waste that could be described as particularly savory or high energy, scheduling service weekly or twice weekly is recommended.

Armed with a sense regarding cart count and service frequency you’ll be ready to look at options on your way toward getting a price estimate.

Pricing Structure

In the interest of ease-of-use and accessibility GoZERO offers standardized pricing for its routine 64 gallon rollout cart food waste to composting “courier” disposal service. Pricing is structured per service visit and per cart.

Service Charges:

• Base price per service visit = $90
• Additional charge per cart for carts 1 - 5 = $20
• Additional charge per cart for carts 6 and up = $15

For example, one cart costs $95 per service visit or five carts cost $155 per service visit.

Service includes cart emptying, complimentary cart washing (weather permitting and as needed), re-lining with a certified compostable liner, complimentary service data provided via google docs, feedback as need on contamination or other issues related to serving, and of course assurance that materials collected go to be composted rather than landfilled.

Mileage:

Mileage fee ($3 per mile OR $150/hour, whichever is least) will be added to service visits if the location is greater than 20 minutes in additional route time.

• Core Area (no mileage fees): Logan, Franklin, Union, Montgomery, Lucas, Hamilton, and Clark counties
• Standard Area (possible mileage fees, depending on location in county: Butler, Clermont, Clinton, Delaware, Fairfield, Fayette, Fulton, Licking, Madison, Pickaway, Warren, Wood counties
• Extended Area (will likely incur mileage fees currently): other counties not listed above

These rates assume accounts are kept current within 30 days, GoZERO carts are passively accessible for servicing 24/7, the location itself is within 20 minutes of our existing service area, and non-compostable contamination is actively managed so that only incidental contamination occurs from time to time.

Introductory Usage Based Pilot

Nobody knows how much food waste to compost disposal service a location needs for sure until they get started which is why GoZERO offers an “introductory usage based pilot” for all new locations where services are offered on a per cart usage basis until a baseline of need can be established.

Once it’s become reasonably clear how many carts at what frequency are needed a location will be transitioned to fixed rate service in order to avoid fluctuations in monthly fees.

Flexibility & No Long Term Commitment

Another point of pride for GoZERO is that we do not require long term contracts. Services can increase, decrease, pause, or cancel any time with ample notice. We’re committed to winning your business and supporting your onsite program with every visit, every week.

PROCESS OVERVIEW  ( Topic 5 of 6 )

There are getting started & staying successful best practices.

Summary

GoZERO has learned from experience in the last several years that there are some best practices along the path toward starting a food waste composting program which will save us from having to relearn the hard way what not to do.

Relationships & Knowledge

First and foremost making sure to have established strong channels of communication for answering questions and addressing needs (i.e. building relationships for sharing knowledge) is key. This document is intended to help in that very process.

Whether it’s at the point of initially explaining composting to leadership, working out a specific issue shortly after having started, or coaching a new participant years into a program – being able to speak to why food waste is a problem, why composting is a solution, when are GoZERO’s services helpful, and how GoZERO’s services work is all essential.

GoZERO prides itself on equipping others to be able to have answers and address issues independently and rising to the occasion when needs exceed others’ abilities. When in doubt, reach out, and we’ll be excited to help.

Estimate & Approval

After initially reaching out to learn more, the next major step we find it helpful to focus on if desired is sharing enough information that it’s possible to generate and get accepted a relevant estimate for services on a location by location basis. 

GoZERO’s Service Level Estimating & Setup Guide has been created as an aid in this process. Please note it speaks to both the estimating AND account setup parts of the process. Getting approval on an estimate before moving on to setup, while not required, may make the most sense.

Also note GoZERO’s guides are a work in progress. So, if there is confusing, missing, or irrelevant information, please be quick to let us know how we can help you and improve for the future.

Account Setup & Remittance

Once an estimate is approved the real work begins. There are two major areas of work to be addressed. The first is account setup which typically included vendor/client information sharing relating to insurance, taxes, billing and payment information, additional program details, and additional service location specifics.

GoZERO’s Location Estimating & Account Setup Guide has been created as an aid in this process. Please note it speaks to both the estimating AND account setup parts of the process. Getting approval on an estimate before moving on to setup, while not required, may make the most sense.

As a final step in account setup an introductory invoice, typically for cart delivery and the first four weeks of estimated service, is sent to be paid as a means of ensuring all relevant setup has been completed and channels for sending payment have been established. It’s not required that GoZERO receive payment before starting work. However, it is required that confirmation be provided in writing that the introductory invoice has been submitted for remittance as a safeguard against starting work without getting set up to be paid. The importance of doing so was a hard learned lesson.

Onsite Program Setup

Following estimate approval, in parallel with account setup, preparations need to be made onsite for food waste composting program kickoff and ongoing management. 

GoZERO’s Program Setup Guide – Onsite Commercial Composting has been created to aid in this step in the process. Commercial and community sites will vary. However, many of the underlying principles are similar. The guide is a work in progress. So, if there is confusing, missing, or irrelevant information, please be quick to let us know how we can help you and improve the process for the future.

Cart Delivery

Once account and program setup are taken care of and a kickoff date is set, GoZERO will deliver carts, typically in context of an existing service route. Following delivery we typically confirm carts were received and the location is ready for its food waste composting program kickoff.

Program Kickoff

With setup complete and carts onsite the only thing left to do is make sure leadership, routine workflows, and communication are ready to start and kickoff putting compostable material in GoZERO’s carts.

Over communicating, avoiding assumptions, and planning to monitor the program closely and monitor especially closely for the first 4 to 8 weeks will help ensure the program gets off to a great start.

Visits

With a location’s program having kicked off and material beginning to appear in GoZERO’s carts, routine service visits will be executed on the schedule communicated, service data will begin to follow, and if any issues arise communication will be quick and as supportive as possible.

Ongoing Communication & Coaching

GoZERO works hard to communicate continuously via standardized service data shared via a Google Drive hosted spreadsheet and quickly via phone and email whenever issues arise. On location establishing a cadence for communicating proper protocols, routine successes, and course correction in the case of issues arising needs to be in place and exercised with participants and other stakeholders for best results.

Billing

Having established payment channels through the initial invoice and remittance confirmation invoices are sent monthly. Please be in touch promptly if ever there is a question relating to an invoice, and thank you for your prompt payment. If invoices become delinquent GoZERO will reach out in order to try to resolve the issue.

Is finished compost available to participants?

Yes, and we’ve found that not everyone who has food waste to compost wants finished compost, and those who do typically only need it on a seasonal basis some of the time. So, we’ve separated the business of providing food waste disposal services from that of providing finished compost and only charged as much as it costs for either service.

If you’d like compost, GoZERO can provide nutrient dense food waste based compost to you in bulk or bags at a great rate as needed.

Where does material go?

GoZERO has relationships with licensed composters across the region and has in the past hauled material to third party facilities. However, today nearly all the material GoZERO collects goes to the Andre Family Farm’s food waste composting facility outside of Toledo, OH.

ISSUE RESOLUTION  ( Topic 6 of 6 )

Our approach to avoiding and addressing issues set us apart.

Summary

When issues arise, and there’s typically always a question or concern that does come up, GoZERO prides itself on responsiveness, executing with excellence, being customer service centric, pragmatism, and taking a systematic approach.

Relationship & Communication

Relationship and communication is key whether there’s an issue regarding non-compostable contamination, a delay, low utilization, high utilization, general questions, non-payment, or odor/wildlife concerns.

Cleaning & Compostable Liners

Complementarity cleaning carts weather permitting and providing compostable liners has been proven to keep carts tidy and issues to a minimum. Typically we see dumpster areas made more hygienic because of the additional containment and care our services bring.

Damaged & Missing Equipment

Equipment, specifically the food waste compost carts, to break down and wear out over time, and that’s GoZERO’s responsibility to manage. However, from time to time there is gross abuse leading to a pattern of broken wheels, cracked lids, or worn carts. If there is an issue with maintaining carts onsite at a service location we’ll be quick to raise a hand so that together we can course correct. There have been very few outlier occasions where fees have been charged to help replace abused or neglected equipment.