Starting a composting program at a commercial property is more straightforward than people expect. It is also not instant — bins, routes, and staff habits all need a few weeks to settle. Here is the sequence that works.
1. Get a rough sense of your volume
You don't need a formal waste audit. Walk the dumpster pad on a busy day, look at what's wet and what's in bags marked “food,” and estimate how many gallons per week that is. We can refine the number on a site visit.
2. Pick a hauler
Look for a local hauler that lists what it accepts (especially food-soiled paper and BPI-certified packaging), gives you scale-verified weight tickets, and serves your address on a real route — not a one-off favor. In the Rapid City area, that is what we do.
3. Place bins where the waste actually happens
Sealed totes belong next to the prep line, the dish pit, and the back door — wherever staff are already moving. A bin twenty feet out of the way will not get used, no matter how well-intentioned the program is.
4. Train staff with visual cues, then check in
A color-coded lid, a simple sign with photos of yes/no items, and a single five-minute huddle at the start of a shift covers most of the work. We provide the signs and the training. After two or three pickups, your driver will flag anything we're seeing as contamination so you can correct it early.
