Pay for someone else to have Compost

Yep. I stumbled on this:

You pay $32/mo. This company puts a "bin" at your house for you to toss in your compostable ingredients. They pick it up and make compost. You can earn up to 50 pounds of compost per year, depending on how much ingredients you provide. And if you don't need it, they give it to a farm.

http://compostcab.com/

GIVE it to a farm?

Why not. One of the great benefits of living in a free country is the opportunities it provides. I give the creator credit and hope they can make it work! Free enterprise!!! Gotta love it
Not everyone is as "composting" inclined and creative as us gardeners. Some folks out there might find it gives them peace of mind to keep some things out of their local landfill and return things to the earth in a natural, nutritious state Maybe they don't need the compost, and don't feel like constructing some type of structure that may not be as eye appealing as a few pallets or welded wire offers Different strokes for us all and perhaps a luxury and peace of mind to the buyer. Really, if you think about it, there's not much difference of this and the yard waste recycle bins that are offered (for $$) in just about every jurisdiction these days. You pay to dump your grass clippings and leaves etc and its composted and usually sold.

Good, thoughtful answer, Rooster. Better than my off-the-cuff answer.

Before getting the compost back, I'd want to know if the landscaping waste in the mix was chemical-free. Some lawn care companies use rather toxic stuff to kill weeds, etc. These chemicals could cause problems in an organic garden. Nonna

Nonna, you yourself would not have any of that compost because you will make your own compost.

If I obtained the similar compost that our city produces from their collections, I would perhaps be prepared to put the compost in a worm pile and let the worms work their magic on it. But even then I think I would only allow it to go on flower beds and lawns, not veggie plots.

Incidently, in our city we are lucky that we do not have to pay to dump our garden waste, we have two free collections per year abnd also at any time we can take it to a central spot and dump it there for nothing.

Yep, one reason we compost: local garbage haulers charge to haul yard waste away; another reason: 30 acres can handle a lot of yard waste. Last summer, we had some problem trees removed. The logger brought up a honkin' big chipper and proceeded to shred all limbs/leaves and anything else that couldn't be sawn into fireplace logs. Tall Paul (the logger) pulled it up near the garden for shredding and dumped three large piles of chips for me. I've used one pile to cover weed barrier paths in garden, but the other two heated up like the leaves were compostng. Don't know how long it'll take to become wood waste compost; but we're retired, we can wait. Nonna & PapaVino

Nonna, In my experience it takes 3-5 years for wood chips to become compost depending on the type of wood and how large the chips are. My last tree trimming in 2010 resulted in 20 yards of chipped debris (Douglas Fir and some Maple). I would say that approx 1/3 has broken down as of November 2012. Those big piles steam and run HOT for months and in my case became a play ground for the chickens during their bug hunts.

$32/month = $384 in a year. At that price, you could buy a super duper composter and be assured of the quality of compost that you used.

We have three separate large receptacles here and each has their own color, one for regular garbage, one for recycle, and one for grass, leaves, etc. Then every Tuesday three trucks come to pick up their particular load. We are lucky here, at least in my city. I am not sure if all cities in Utah do this. On a side note, at the landfill they have a recycle shed that has yard chemicals, fertilizers, paint, etc. for free.

Wow, HappyCamper, that long? Guess I'll find more aisles to cover with the chips, and count on the regular compost piles for the time being. Perhaps leave one of the wood chip piles as a test to see how long it takes here on Yankton Mountain. Thanks for the info. Nonna

Just a thought - This company is in the north eastern US where there are lots of large cities, small yards and apartment dwellers. For urbanites who are eco-friendly and growing on a patio, balcony or deck, etc. this might be a better alternative than having to dispose of compostable waste in the trash.