Got any brown bags?
We recently piloted a brown bag experiment, lining each member’s bucket with a brown paper bag, in hopes that it would reduce the time, labor and water needed to clean each bucket. We ordered 400 bags and in two months we were able to line buckets each week and determine if it really works. We are happy to say, IT DID!
Rather than have more brown bags shipped to the island we want to reach out to the community to see if they have any brown bags they want to recycle through composting. The brown bags we are looking to accept are similar in size and shape to the Safeway and Big Save grocery store brown bags.
If you have brown bags piling up or have friends who collect brown bags we want them!
Members: We can collect your brown bags during your weekly pick-ups. This will be ongoing. You can neatly fold your brown bags and fit them in another brown bag or inside a plastic bag (to protect them from getting wet). We are looking for grocery sized brown bags.
Non Members: You can bring your clean brown bags to our tent at the Grove Farm Farmers Market every Saturday from 9:30am-12:30pm.
With about a month left in 2022, it is an appropriate time to start some amazing new habits early. So might we suggest:
Start some seeds today so you have fresh foods to eat in January,
Begin a new workout routine so you feel strong and energized before the Resolution crowd invades the gym,
Reevaluate your budget to gain financial freedom while also investing in the things you value in life,
Schedule one weekend a month to dedicate to those you love and plan regular experiences rather than “things” for all year long enjoyment.
Let us tell you what WE HAVE TO GIVE this year for our members and not-yet members.
Show someone you care by taking out the "trash," not buying them more.
Already a member?
Give the gift of composting and receive one month FREE for yourself. Choose a three-month, six-month or one-year membership for friends or family to get them started with new habits for the new year. When you sign up a friend or neighbor we will give you a month of FREE service and waive the startup fee. Our pick-up service can be gifted to Eastside residents (Kapaa, Wailua & Kapahi).
Not a member, yet?
Well, you can become a member yourself or give our service to friends or family on the Eastside. New sign ups for our three-month, six-month or one-year memberships will have the startup fee waived until 12/31/22. These memberships are a great way for you or your friends and family to try our service during the holidays and into the new year with the startup fee. Let us take care of those holiday scraps for ya!
Our residential pick-up service includes:
Five-gallon bucket with a screw tight lid
Weekly pick-up service for food scraps, paper products, cardboard and any other organics that can fit in your bucket
Weekly bucket washing service
One gallon of our premium compost for each month of service* (returned on a quarterly basis)
Six-month diversion reports (pounds diverted from the landfill)
Once-in-awhile Compost Kauai Newsletter
Weekly text reminders for placing your bucket outside
Four Community Sift Days to join us in sifting and bagging up compost for the community (another opportunity for more FREE compost)
Open communication to our Compost Kauai team about plants, soil, gardening and other sustainability concepts
Joining a community of like-minded members making a difference by supporting community scale composting
*after our six-month initial wait period
Become a member or give the gift of our service by clicking here or visiting our website. This offer to waive the startup fee and get one month free ends on 12/31/22.
Annual Soil Testing
Want to know why your plants may be struggling?
Moved into a new place and unsure the status of the soil.
Are you thinking of expanding and planting more fruit trees or annual crops?
Since our first completed pile of compost in the Fall of 2020, we have been sending our compost to a lab to have it tested each year. This year we are sending off not only our end-of-the-year compost samples but also some of our own home soil. We recently became new land managers and want to learn what our soil offers and what we can do to grow better crops and fruit trees.
Rather than just send only our few samples we wanted to open this opportunity up to our members and others who are interested in learning more about their soil and the nutrients that lie beneath.
Why do a soil test and why is it useful?
Soil testing is THE first step before planting fruit trees and a garden. It is recommended to get a soil test when you are first introduced to your soil and then every five years. Knowing what your soil can provide will help you know what crops will do well (or why they are not doing well), reduce any over-fertilization, save you money before planting crops/trees that might do poorly and even give you a glimpse into the history of your land, such as if any heavy metals are still lurking in the soil.
A soil test can tell you the nutrients available or lacking (nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, boron, etc.), the soil’s pH (which can affect nutrient uptake), the amount of organic matter in the soil, the soil texture (percentage of sand, silt and clay), the level of biological life, if heavy metals are present and more.
If you are interested in getting your soil tested let us know. We are offering an opportunity to get support from us and have your soil sample shipped off with ours at no extra cost to you (you only pay the price for your chosen analysis). The prices start at just $20 for basic nutrients and a complete analysis is only $35.
Contact us before December 14, 2022 if you are interested in having your soil tested and shipped with ours. Reach out to us if you need help with sampling too!
Updated Terms & Conditions
Finally, we would like to let you know we are currently working on updating our Terms and Conditions which will be finalized and go into effect on January 1, 2023. We know many people do not read this lengthy document but you can find it under the FAQ tab on our website and we think it is important to share a few of the important changes.
New bucket replacement price - With the cost of buckets increasing by almost 53% we have changed the bucket replacement price from $12 to $18 to reflect the true cost of buckets. This cost is only charged in the case that a bucket is lost, misplaced or destroyed.
Additional bucket price will change - The price for adding another bucket to residential services will change from $8/mo to $12/mo. There will also be an increase for additional buckets to small business memberships (>3 buckets). This means there will also be new membership prices for new members in 2023.
Do-Gooders (1 bucket) membership = $32
The Influencers (2 buckets) = $44
Scrapaholics (3 buckets) = $56
Additional bucket to residential memberships = $12/month
You can have up to three buckets for our residential memberships. If you need more than three we now have a small business membership with different rates.
Excess material outside of buckets - As we grow we become more limited on the space and capacity we have in our service truck. This means we are unable to continue taking any excess materials (food scraps, cardboard, paper, etc.) outside of buckets. To prevent any upset with our service we want to offer a couple options for any excess material:
Add another bucket to your current membership (you can do this on our website and in our online store)
Cut your food scraps into smaller pieces to help fill it in to all the spaces in your bucket
Add your carbon materials (cardboard, shredded paper, paper mail, etc.) into your current bucket
Contact us beforehand if the excess material is a single occurrence and we can discuss other accommodations
Drop-off site terms & conditions - We have laid out some more details for our current drop-off site at the Puhi Farmers Market including the prices and service we provide for those members.
