BECOME A MEMBER

Attend an orientation, learn how to be a good bin steward and sign the Lancaster Compost Co-Op Member Agreement.

Yes. All members are required to attend an orientation before being permitted to start composting.

Visit our Eventbrite page here where you can find an orientation during our active season (April-November).

For the benefit of using the bins, co-op members are asked to participate in as many 1-hour work days on a monthly to bi-monthly basis during the active season (April-November). These work days are for turning, adding to and sifting bin compost or performing any necessary bin maintenance. Aside from participating in regular bin maintenance, we are always looking for members who want to take a larger role such as becoming a co-captain, joining our leadership team, or hosting community events.

Join your compost captains and your neighbors to participate in fun, engaging, and crucial bin maintenance work days. These work days are for turning, adding to and sifting bin compost. That, and performing any necessary bin maintenance. Work days are also a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and fellow co-op members.

What: Every work day is a little bit different with varying activities based on the compost stage of your bin – from transferring contents to make room for more, to collecting browns, to sifting finished compost, to performing any necessary bin maintenance – every work day helps us care for our bin.

When: Compost captains schedule work days on a monthly to bi-monthly basis for about an hour during the active season (April-November) to ensure each bin is getting the love it deserves. Stay on the look out for emails and calendar invites from your compost captains to stay up to date on your bin’s next work day.

Where: At your community bin.

Why: Work Days are where we come together to be stewards and manage the health of our community bin. As a volunteer-led co-op it's up to all of us to participate so we have the privilege of continuing to use them. It is also a great opportunity to meet your neighbors and build community.

What to Bring: While we are actively working to stock the bins with more work day supplies, it never hurts to bring your own shovels, pitchforks, and work gloves to make work days even more productive. And don’t forget to bring water!

Anyone who attends an orientation and signs the waiver. You don’t need to live in Lancaster to be a member. We have members who drive in from nearby towns.

Most choose the bin closest to home or work, but depending on membership availability you may need to select your 2nd choice bin. All bins are located within 7 square miles of Lancaster City. Please note that you may conduct your orientation at a bin that is different from your selected site.

Fill out a contact us form to let us know which bin you’d like to transfer from and to.

You have access 24/7 (using your judgment and precautions) with exclusive locks and codes dedicated to your bin location.

Food and organic matter only. This includes:

• Fruit and vegetable scraps
• Eggshells
• Coffee and tea grounds; paper filters
• Small amounts of untreated yard waste/leaves
• Shredded, uncoated paper
• Shredded cardboard (tape removed)
• Straw

• No compostable products of any kind such as compostable silverware, bags, etc. (they are designed for commercial composting only).
• Meat
• Cheese or other dairy products
• Bones
• Fish
• Oil/Fat
• Pet waste
• Sticks and branches over 1/2 inch wide
• Diseased plants or weeds
• Plastic, metal, styrofoam or glass
• Whole pits, avocado seeds, corn cobs, or pumpkins (they are permitted to be composted but must be cut into smaller pieces first)

Only place organic matter in the active bin as directed by your compost captain

Size matters! The smaller the piece size of the organic matter the better. Cut up any whole produce before composting

Cover the organic matter with browns every time you drop off scraps with leaves, shredded uncoated paper, or cardboard.

There are several ways to store your organic matter depending on your living situation. Many members in smaller living spaces without outdoor space freeze their scraps. If you have outdoor space you can consider storing scraps in a bucket with a sealed lid.

It is distributed among members on a first come first served basis at work days or may be picked up after work days.

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Due to their durable construction, bin lids are quite heavy. Each has a small wooden “prop,” but you may wish to bring a friend (or reach out to a fellow member) to help. The bins are kept closed and locked when not in use, with the combination of the lock accessible only to our members.

Each bin has a less than a 100 square foot footprint and is made from heavy-duty plywood with metal lids. The bins are constructed with three locked compartments with removable front panels – allowing compost to be turned and moved during different stages of processing. Each bin can handle the organic waste from approximately 70 households.

According to NDRC, “composting is the natural process of recycling organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, into a valuable fertilizer that can enrich soil and plants. Anything that grows decomposes eventually; composting simply speeds up the process by providing an ideal environment for bacteria, fungi, and other decomposing organisms (such as worms, sowbugs, and nematodes) to do their work. The resulting decomposed matter, which often ends up looking like fertile garden soil, is called compost. Fondly referred to by farmers as “black gold,” compost is rich in nutrients and can be used for gardening, horticulture, and agriculture.”