A 64-gallon tote of kitchen scraps and a 64-gallon tote of cardboard look identical on the curb. One weighs roughly 300 pounds. The other weighs maybe 25. That gap is why organics pricing doesn't map cleanly onto traditional trash pricing.
Why density matters to your bill
- Food waste is roughly 70% water — it's heavy out of proportion to its volume.
- Receiving sites charge by the ton, not by the bin.
- An undersized bin gets overfilled, becomes a lift hazard, and can leak — costing more in service, not less.
- An oversized bin on a slow route is wasted capacity you're paying to move.
How we size a route honestly
Before we quote, we want to see (or hear about) a normal week: covers served, prep volume, what's already going in the trash, and where the bins would live. From there we recommend a tote size and a frequency that keeps weight per pickup in a safe, predictable band. Every pickup comes with a scale-verified weight ticket, so the bill matches reality instead of an estimate.
