Composting

Upper Valley Composting Options for Residences and Businesses

Vermont’s new composting law became effective on July 1, 2020, mandating that everyone keep food scraps out of the trash and manage their compost wisely. Sustainable Woodstock has researched composting in the Upper Valley, where farms and businesses offer the following options for food scraps and composting.
Compost
Compost Soil

Composting Resources

Please check provider websites for collection details, location and hours, keeping in mind that most services require a fee.

Music Mountain Compost

Services the greater Rutland, VT Area along with Central and Southern Vermont. They offer bi-weekly compost pickup for $20.00 a month.

Nordic Waste

Offers Curbside Pick Up services in the following Upper Valley towns: Lebanon, West Lebanon, Hanover, Etna, and Hartford Area (Hartford, West Hartford, White River Jct., Wilder, Quechee), Norwich, Woodstock, and Hartland Vermont. Accepts compostable items other than food such as certified compostable flatware and packaging, food soiled napkins and paper towels, paper cups, paper sleeves, and paper straws, and newsprint.

WeRecycleFood.com

Offers options for either weekly drop-off or residential curbside pickup in Hartland, Norwich, Woodstock and Hartford (Quechee, West Hartford. White River Junction and Wilder), as well as in New Hampshire (Etna, Hanover, Lebanon and West Lebanon). Drop-off customers can swap their 5-gallon food scrap buckets once per week, during normal business hours at the Hanover, Lebanon and White River Junction CO-OP food store locations.

Willow Tree Community Compost

Offers compost drop-off service, as well as weekly and bi-weekly compost pickup for the Vermont towns of Hartford Village, White River Junction and Wilder.

The Sandberg Farm

Located in East Corinth, Vermont, The Sandberg Farm runs a compost pickup service for restaurants and schools. They also sell eggs and finished compost. Visit their facebook page to learn more.

Cat Buxton

Cat Buxton has worked with the towns of Strafford, Thetford and West Fairlee, and Willow Tree and Sunrise Farm to help close the loop locally by connecting those scraps with local farms or composters. She has worked with the Food Cycle Coalition’s On-Farm Compost Project (with Farm to Plate) to help close the loop in Vermont by connecting existing or new small compost sites that can remain under the ANR regulatory threshold for solid waste management.
Watch Cat’s YouTube webinar on Backyard Composting 101
Learn more at www.growmorewasteless.com

A.B.L.E. Waste

Offers drop off of residential organic waste at their Saturday morning “Fast Trash” locations at the Bridgewater Town Garage (8am-12noon) and on Route 12 across from Hartland Fire Station (8am-11am). They also offer commercial pickup.

Casella Waste Systems

Offers curbside food scrap pickup to its residential clients through partnerships with other compost haulers.

Town Transfer Stations

Vermont now requires Town Transfer Stations to have compost barrels to collect residents’ food scraps, including meat and bones. Some charge a fee.

Composting at Home

Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District

Resources for home composting, and can assist with purchasing at-home compost bin.

Vermont Agency of Natural Resources

Our sincere thanks for suggestions shared by Cat Buxton, founder and director of Grow More, Waste Less; and Ham Gillett, Program/Outreach Coordinator, Greater Upper Valley Solid Waste Management District and Outreach Coordinator, South Windsor/Windham Counties Solid Waste Management District.

Learn More

Please contact us for more information about programs and initiatives.