Happy Composters

Need to change your billing info? Go to our member portal below

Are you moving, canceling, or swapping ownership?

Please email Adrienne or Ryan at info@ happytrashcan.net and we can do that for you.

Questions on all things Compost? Check out our FAQ and our Best Practices sections below

FAQ

Contamination

  • There is no magic “away” process; we hand-sort everything we collect. Please follow our guidelines and remove all plastic, stickers, twisties and more from your bucket, and see more below in our bucket-list section.

Extra Waste & Special Pickups

  • Extra bags or full buckets: $4 each per pickup.

  • Need a second bucket? + $5 per month.

  • Emergency pick-up: $7-$10 depending on location.

  • Free 24/7 drop-off is available. See your welcome email for details.

Yard Waste & Seasonal Items

  • Yard waste in compostable bags: $2 per bag (under 5 lbs). Must confirm no herbicides used.

  • Pumpkins: Free if they fit in the bucket. Extra pumpkins cost $3-$5 each. Large hauls require special pickup.

  • We host free pumpkin smash days every year as well!

  • Christmas tree pickup: $15-$20 by request.

Bucket Care & Placement

  • Keep a weight on the lid to prevent loss. Replacement buckets cost $10, and they are refundable if found.

  • Apartment residents should label buckets with name and unit number. Avoid placing near dumpsters.

  • Buckets must be curbside or in a designated pickup spot. No porch pick-ups unless special arrangements.

Bucket Cleaning & Liners

  • Request a washed bucket via email at least 24 hours before pickup day

  • Weather may delay or cancel requests

  • We clean buckets with water and a scrub brush outdoors

  • Compostable liners are provided with each pickup.

  • Rinse and dry your bucket before adding a new liner for best use.

  • 1x/month requests or more: $3 per wash

Finished Compost

  • Our free compost is distributed by a two day event, and resumes in Spring. Announcement via email for eligible household members.

  • Compost shares are an opt-in bonus for active subscribers. Subscribers must be active for 3 months prior, and 3 months after to receive the free shares at the compost-give back, as well as our member discount for bulk rate.

  • Bulk compost is available year-round by the cubic yard. Email to reserve before it sells out! A cubic yard fills a truck bed. Members get special discounted pricing.

  • For newer curbside composters, you can receive a share on your pickup day for just the delivery fee of $10. Please reach out for more details.

Bucket List

Help keep our stream clean!

We hand-process all compost, so please keep non-compostable items out.

  • Only compostable items accepted. No plastics, fruit stickers, rubber bands, twist ties, candy wrappers, or bio-solids.

  • All food scraps accepted, including meat, dairy, fats, and butter. Greasy items should be wrapped in a napkin or compostable container.

  • If unsure about an item, email or send a photo.

What We Accept:

  • All food scraps, including fruits, vegetables, meat, bones, dairy, fats, etc

  • Compostable packaging: must have a 3rd party certification.

  • BPI Certified Compostable, TUV OK COMPOST, or CMI Certified Compostable.

  • Recommended brands: Biobag, World Centric, Vegware. Please inquire for more specifics

What We Don't Accept:

  • Plastic, rubber bands, twist ties, fruit stickers

  • Polyester tea bags, candy wrappers, conventional packaging

  • Bio-solids, compostable diapers, and pet waste

Keep grease contained in a napkin or compostable container to make cleaning easier.

If you're unsure about an item, email or send us a photo. If a restaurant you love doesn’t use compostable to-go ware, let us know and we can help.

Drop-Off Questions

Find our member access info in your welcome email.

Proper drop-off etiquette is essential to continue our program. Only food scraps and 5-gallons per week, per household. No bins are permitted to be overfilled at any time. No pizza boxes, pumpkins, or yard waste.

We service our drop-off stations 3x per week, and not on the weekends. If the bins are too full, please come back soon, and they will be ready for dumping every other day, Monday-Friday.

Our pay-what-you-can system is dependent on an honor system. Folks who can pay our suggested $10 per month do so in order to help out those who can’t.