Program Setup Guide – Onsite Commercial Composting

( version 0.2 )

Introduction

Congratulations on getting started taking a closer look at food waste composting! The prospect of setting up an in-house composting program may be a bit daunting, but it doesn't have to be. 

This guide has been created to demystify the process of getting started and maintaining an  in-house composting program by helping to answer the below questions 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. LEADERSHIP – Who will champion and administrate the program initially and on an ongoing basis?

2. SCOPE – What will become the who, what, when, where, why, and how (WWWWW&H) of your location’s tailored food waste composting program?

3. ENGAGEMENT – How will staff and patrons become and stay engaged in the program?

With these questions addressed, the vast majority of in-house food waste composting program issues are accounted for. However, this is 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. Thanks for taking the time to sustainably dispose of your food waste!

Gratefully yours,

David Andre

Executive Director

GoZERO Services, Food Waste Compost Courier

LEADERSHIP ( Question 1 of 3 )

Who will champion and administrate your in-house composting program initially and on an ongoing basis?

If you’re an owner, manager, business operations leader, or other professional who already is responsible for a lot of other projects and/or processes – it probably should not be you.

Find a front line staff member or two who is competent, works well with others, maybe doesn’t already have a lot of additional responsibilities, and most importantly – wants to help with composting.

These are the people to whom you can delegate the rest of the execution and success of your composting program.

THINGS TO DO

1. Jot down 3-5 prospects for compost captain and lieutenants.

2. Take a quick survey of your staff, asking something like the below and see what kind of feedback you get. The survey can be informal, formal, part of a regular meeting, or baked into a routine communication

• What do you think about the ideas of composting (i.e. sending organics to be recycling)?
• Can you imagine any problems and/or opportunities it would create?
• Would you be willing to help organize and manage such a program?

3. Secure 1 - 3 composting program leaders.

OUTCOMES

1. Find 1 - 3 people who’d like to spearhead your in-house composting program, i.e. execute the remaining portions of this guide and make sure it’s tailored for your location’s operation. There’s usually one or more people who want to help.

2. Get a general sense for how staff feels about composting. Bake in passionate (positive or negative) feedback and personnel into the program. Surprisingly, naysayers who are looped in on helping to address their concerns can become the strongest advocates, and even if there is some negative feedback, keep the program straightforward. Setting personnel up for success typically works. Ask for success stories from other locations if there are a lot of concerns.

SCOPE ( Question 2 of 3 )

What will become the who, what, when, where, why, and how (WWWWW&H) of your location’s tailored food waste composting program?

Food waste composting can be extremely simple or extremely complex depending on the intended outcomes and how it’s set up within a location’s operations.

Who will Compost

Most of the complexity of an in-house food waste composting program is determined by who will be doing the composting. There are generally two types of programs along these lines, “back of house” and “front of house.”

Back of house (i.e. service staff only) programs are much easier to manage due to training and access being limited to a finite number of personnel.

Front of house (i.e. general public) programs tend to create a greater positive halo effect due to the public being able to engage with actual food waste compost receptacles.

Determining who will be composting – service staff, general population, sub-groups of either, or some combination any of these will set the stage for much of your in-house food waste composting program’s development.

What is to be Composted

GoZERO is able to dispose of the broadest spectrum of compostable materials. However, It’s usually best to start with a specific focus in order to learn what works in your organization before going too broad.

Especially for front of house, general population, programs, consider converting some or all disposable serviceware to ASTM D6400 compliant, BPI certified compostable items. There is typically an increased cost, but the tradeoff is increased ease of use, greater program adoption, and lower risk of non-compostable contamination in food waste compost receptacles. Saran wrap, condiment packets, and other incidental non-compostable items which are retained in service when establishing a program create the greatest contamination risk.

See the full list of accepted and prohibited items.

Read more about ASTM D6400 compliant, BPI certified compostable items.

When to Compost

Ideally it’s best to include composting as part of an operation’s day to day routine. However, sometimes budgets or other concerns are constraining, and it may be best to compost as part of a special event in order to test how it goes both operationally and from a public appeal perspective.

It’s common for an organization to discover that there is a lot of positive buzz created for relatively little effort when hosting a zero waste event, including composting, as a means of testing the concept.

Where to Compost

An in-house food waste compost receptacle is a place where compostable items separated from other recycling and landfill items and collected. They’re made up of a container, signage, appropriate equipment, and a routine in-house servicing workflow plan.

Food waste compost receptacles should typically be co-located with existing recycling and landfill receptacles in order to discourage putting the wrong item in the wrong receptacle. However, not every existing recycling or landfill receptacle should necessarily have a food waste compost receptacle added to it. Below are listed a few locations where food waste compost receptacles are commonly placed.

• kitchen food prep stations, back of house
• dishwashing plate scrape stations, back of house
• dining room self serve waste receptacles, front of house 
• break room waste receptacles, front of house
• restroom paper towel receptacles, front of house

It’s also typically helpful to map out and/or list out the locations and number of food waste compost receptacles for planning purposes. Program communications, equipment, and operations are built off this backbone.

Why Compost

Before beginning any effort it’s critical to define the end goal. If it’s not already been established, defining desired outcomes for a location's in-house food waste composting program is a good first step in scoping out a plan.

Desired outcomes can be purely altruistic, like being the ones who “do the right thing” and/or can include more business minded objectives like “establishing a competitive advantage through operational bragging rights.” Composting typically is not less expensive than landfilling, but it does create a very strong engagement platform among staff and patrons.

How to Compost

Assuming someone will be hired to haul away food waste in order to have it composted elsewhere, (i.e. a food waste compost courier service) there are three primary aspects you need to plan. Starting with smaller, more concrete aspects may be helpful. 

1. Individual Food Waste Compost Receptacles
2. Ongoing Management
3. Initial Implementation

Use the acronym C.E.O. (i.e. communications, equipment, & operations) to compost “like a boss” and think through these elements to plan the above.

Improve program adoption by framing communication around the A.D.K.A.R. (awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement) model.

1. Individual Food Waste Compost Receptacles – Define a plan for communication, equipment, and operations (C.E.O.) each receptacle.

COMMUNICATION 

Plan communication that clearly communicates WWWWW&H using the below A.D.K.A.R. steps. Usually signage is appropriate, but sometimes at events posting a person too is needed.

• Awareness – What is the receptacle for and what broader program is it a part of.

• Desire – Why is the program important and what’s in it for the individual.

• Knowledge – What needs done immediately and overall to reach intermediate and ultimate goals.

• Ability – How to properly participate in a given moment and in the broader program.

• Reinforcement – What is the commitment of the program organizers, and how to practice building the intended healthy habits.

EQUIPMENT

Set participants up for success. If it’s not clear and easy, getting people to participate will be difficult.

• Signage – Food waste compost receptacle communication is typically most effective when simple, color coded, displaying examples of actual items accepted, and framed around the above A.D.K.A.R. concepts.

• Receptacle Type – Form follows function. Determine what the receptacle needs to do and plan accordingly. For example it may need to fit in a tight space, hold a lot or just a very little material, or be easily and routinely emptied.
  
  Keep in mind not only ease of use when putting material into the food waste compost receptacle but also the ease of use and frequency of emptying. If a container is too big and material is too heavy, it may become unmanageable. However, if the container is too small, it may fill up too fast and present other issues.

• Compostable Liners – If bigger than a mixing bowl which can easily and routinely be cleaned, it is strongly recommended food waste receptacles be lined with a BPI certified, ASTM D6400 compliant, compostable liner in order to facilitate program adoption and ease of use despite the additional cost.
  
  Recommendations can be made if existing suppliers do not carry liners.
  
  If concerns are raised relating to the use of compostable liners, consider – 1) Food waste is one of the most troublesome components of typical waste, and if landfill and recycling items are bagged, how much more appropriate is it that compostable items also be bagged. 2) Compostable liners are commonly the single greatest factor in causing commercial composting programs to become an easily implemented routine along other existing workflows.
  
  As a backup, if compostable liners are cost prohibitive, it may be possible to use traditional plastic liners in-house and then direct staff to empty traditional liners into service containers before landfilling those liners. Training, contamination, adoption, etc all become greater issues if traditional plastic liners are used in-house.

• Trash Grabbers – Traditionally used for litter cleanup with a trigger at one end and pinchers on the other, trash grabbers give program participants the tool they need to remove a non-compostable item from the composting receptacle as soon as they see it.
  
  With trash grabbers it’s possible to communicate that the expectation is that if there is a non-compostable item in the food waste composting receptacle, pull it out and put it where it belongs. Without trash grabbers the only option is to reach in the receptacle with one's hands in order to retrieve non-compostable items which few people are likely to do.
  
  Trash grabbers can typically be added to back of house, service staff only, food waste compost receptacles with instructions to remove contamination noted without much effort. Making trash grabbers available front of house for general population may require additional instruction and/or oversight.

OPERATION

It will be helpful to think through ongoing management moments listed in the next section as they relate to individual food waste compost receptacles. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Setting participants up for success is the goal, and including them in the process usually pays dividends.

2. Ongoing Management – In time doing the individual activities that make up a food waste composting program will become second nature and the finer points of what to do in this situation or that will become more clear. Use the below operational moments to as a starting point to describe how food waste composting

Disposal – What it looks like when someone puts something in the food waste compost receptacle? WWWWW&H?

Decontamination – What should someone do if they see a non-compostable item in the food waste compost receptacle? For example, remove it with trash grabbers and document it.

Collection – At what interval are food waste compost receptacles checked for contamination, emptied, cleaned if need be, and rest? How is material moved to the collection containers outside? If the receptacle becomes full between intervals, what should be done?

Issue Resolution – If there is a question or a problem, what should be done? Who should be contacted?

Program Change – If some aspect of the program needs to change or may not be working as well as it could be, what should be done? Who should be contacted?

Incidental Communication – What qualifies as appropriate for incidental which types of program related communication? There may be upward or downward communication, one to many or many to one communication and needs through any number of channels or methods.

Routine Communication – What qualifies as appropriate for routine which types of program related communication? There may be upward or downward communication, one to many or many to one communication types and needs through any number of channels or methods.

3. Initial Implementation – Nobody knows how to make a change to how you do what you do like you, the people doing the work today.

Answer the who, what, when, where, and why questions in this guide and use this section to define the how before starting. Define the activities that need to be completed, who’s going to do them, and create a calendared schedule to execute against.

It may be a good idea to start with one part of the program you’d like to ultimately impliment. Rolling out a program in phases where learning and adjustment can be done a little at a time rather than all at once usually works best. 

COMMUNICATION

• Pre-Launch communication – How will you introduce the program and prepare participants to be ready for launch?

• Launch – How will you install the needed awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement (A.D.K.A.R.) in training participants? 

• Insidentel Ongoing communication – What events or needs will trigger communication about what topics in which channels once the program is up and running? eg. a recurring question needs addressed, retraining is needed to reduce contamination,  or the program itself needs modified and communication about the change is needed

• Routine Ongoing communication – What routine communications are planned? eg. monthly vital statistics or weekly status reports

EQUIPMENT

• Initial Purchases – What items are needed before kickoff? Typically, receptacle containers, liners, trash grabbers, signage, and any training material are needed.

• Ongoing Supply Management – What’s the process for identification for a need, procurement, and deployment for needed equipment and supplies? Often existing processes can be extended to composting related items.

OPERATIONS

Think through the ongoing operational moments below, what standard operating procedures should be, and how to train, retrain, and onboard new participants.

THINGS TO DO

1. Define the who, what, when, where, why, and how for your location’s tailored food waste composting program. Starting with why may help.

2. When planning how you will compost, focus on communications, equipment, & operations (C.E.O.) to compost “like a boss” built around 1) individual food waste compost receptacles, 2) ongoing management, and 3) initial implementation.

3. When planning communication address awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, and reinforcement (A.D.K.A.R.) to improve program adoption.

OUTCOMES

Have a thoughtful plan which takes into consideration what is typically needed to get started composting. 

 

ENGAGEMENT ( Question 3 of 3 )

How will staff and patrons become and stay engaged in the program?

Food waste composting is typically a topline engagement opportunity rather than a bottom line cost savings solution. Individuals and organizations are always on the lookout for ways to grow and improve, and without intentionally planning an engagement strategy staff and patrons may respond to food waste composting programs. However, planning to make the most of the halo effect around food waste reduction is always recommended.

The cost benefit of food waste related programing is often best considered from PR, HR, sustainability, marketing, and/or advertising perspectives in addition to operations and budgeting. Integrated, sustainably focused, and relatively easy to implement programs which have the potential to generate the type of upside results a food waste composting program can are hard to come by.

Making sure to brag and become expert about your food waste composting program is something only you can do. Breaking it down into easy to execute activities that build over time like an advertising campaign or company expansion has been found to be most successful.

Whatever you do, have a plan to talk about your program and don’t let it become a burden. You’ll very likely be surprised at the positive responses you’ll get.

THINGS TO DO

Plan how and when you will communicate about your food waste composting program, initially and ongoing. Will you include elements like personal stories, big picture facts, and/or program specific statistics?

OUTCOMES

Have an engagement plan for your food waste composting program that focuses on creating a halo effect with your staff and patrons.