The City of Wyoming, with the Environmental Stewardship Commission, is pleased to offer residents access to a FREE Food Drop-Off Program for composting.
In partnership with GoZERO Services, a non-profit courier service for residential recycling of kitchen food scraps for composting, Wyoming residents will be able to compost a large variety of kitchen food scraps!
To start, we will have six, watertight, 22” x 24” x 42”, 64-gallon branded bright green plastic rollout carts at Oak Park for residents to access at any time (the park is closed after dark). This is a drop-off service for residents.
Any container of choice is acceptable to collect one’s personal food scraps for drop-off. Using a certified compostable bag in the receptacle of choice is recommended. The liners MUST be certified compostable. Recommended liners can be purchased HERE.
FOOD MATERIALS TO COMPOST
ACCEPTED MATERIALS
• Meat, fish, and small bones
• Dairy products and eggs
• Fruits and vegetables
• Pasta, grains, and beans
• Baked goods and pastries
• Coffee grounds and paper coffee filters
• Paper towels and soiled napkins (exclude paper with coatings which could be plastic)
• BPI certified compostable materials – MUST have the BPI certification stamp (this includes compostable liners*)
• Pizza boxes – tear into small pieces before composting (do not put full pizza boxes in the containers)
*Not all “compostable materials” made are accepted! For “compostable” plastic items, please ensure the item is labeled as “BPI Certified” – when in doubt, LEAVE IT OUT!
MATERIALS NOT ACCEPTED
• Animal waste
• Plastic bags – BPI certified liners ONLY
• No grocery bags, sandwich bags, trash bags, etc.
• Yard waste (this is collected curbside per usual)
• Traditional plastics (containers, coatings, films, etc.)
• Milk cartons and similar (they have a plastic lining)
• Aluminum foil
• Clothing and textiles (including face coverings)
• Electronics
• Glass and glass bottles
• Medicines and other healthcare products
• Tin and aluminum cans
• Rubber, plastic, or nitrile gloves
• Stericycle items (e.g. potato chip bags)
• Stones and rocks
• Styrofoam of any kind
FAQs
Is there a cost for this program? The program is free. The City of Wyoming has received grant funding for a one-year pilot program. If the program is well received, the City will pay for the service in future years.
Can anyone participate, or is it just Wyoming residents? While this program is geared towards Wyoming residents, anyone with access to Oak Park can drop off food scraps.
What can and cannot be composted with this program? Please see above for a complete list of what can and cannot be dropped within the scope of this program.
Will it be messy? We encourage residents to use a certified compostable liner (which can be purchased HERE) in their receptacle of choice. This will help eliminate the mess in the individual container and the larger bins. However, this is not required. GoZERO will come and pick up the material every other week. Each time, they clean the bins and add new liners. The bins themselves are watertight and animal-proof.
Who is GoZERO? GoZero has been in business and operating continuously since 2016. Their singular focus is innovating resource stewardship – starting with food waste, diverting it from landfilling, and working to make it easy for mid to small-scale food waste generators to do their part. GoZERO provides food waste compost courier services to K-12 schools, universities, offices, manufacturing facilities, grocers, restaurants, community drop-offs, and events. They currently serve 12 public localities at 20 stations and 11 privately hosted stations across western and central Ohio.
What happens to the food waste that is picked up? All compostable material picked up is delivered to a family farm near Toledo, OH, where it is composted into a rich soil amendment full of organic matter, nutrients, and probiotics for soil building and growing healthy plants. GoZERO is also looking for new facilities closer to its southwest Ohio customers.
Will compostable cups and cutlery be accepted? “BPI-certified compostable” plastic products (e.g., trash can liners/bags, forks, spoons, knives, cups, bowls, plates, straws, and other service ware) are accepted.
GOZERO COMPOST AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE
Interested in buying the finished compost product? GoZERO sells their compost product in 5lb bags for delivery or you can request a bulk delivery. Click HERE for pricing and order information.