Frequently Asked Questions

How much will it cost?

It depends, but rest assured that our fees are typically competitive – if not cheaper – than your current disposal costs. It is helpful for us to get familiar with your operation to determine your specific needs & goals. This information is used to provide a plan (and estimate) that best fits your operation. Our goal from day-one has been to provide a service that is professional, reliable, friendly & cost-competitive while helping you meet your sustainability goals. There are many variables to every circumstance, but it’s fair to say we’ve seen it all and we are here to help you make the right plan for your operation.

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What can I put in the totes?

Everything you’d put in your backyard compost pile — vegetable and fruit trimmings, eggshells, breads, grains, meat and fish scraps, dairy products, soiled coffee filters, paper towels and more! Thanks to our state of the art de-packaging capabilities, we can also accept food products still in their packaging. Our only exception is that we cannot accept any glass, diapers and a handful of other items. Please feel free to call us with any more-specific questions.

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Do you wash the totes?

During each tote service, Agri-Cycle inserts a new liner designed to contain smelly residue and help keep odors to a minimum. In extreme summer heat we will make special arrangements to wash your totes using our state of the art wash trailer.

My current trash bill is a flat fee no matter how much I throw away. What do I do?

Speak with your current waste provider and let them know you’d like to work with us on a food waste program. If they are a good partner, they will work with you on meeting your goals both operationally and financially. If your current hauler is not willing to adjust the service for you to encourage recycling, we can provide the names of other haulers who would be happy to work with you.

What do you use for containers?  

Agri-Cycle relies on a wide array of containers, large and small, to fulfill our collective mission of keeping food scraps out of the waste stream. We utilize smaller containers for crowded spaces and small folks, such as school children seeking a home for their cafeteria lunch scraps each day. Other needs call for much larger containers, such as roll-off dumpsters; for example, a supermarket needing to clean out a freezer during a power outage.

Will it stink? What about animals?

We’re in this together, and like you, we do not want any unwanted odor or pest nuisances at your location. For starters, we customize our collection strategy by first paying you a visit to get familiar with your specific needs and constraints. Once we’ve agreed on a good, solid plan and have launched service, we use liners that are replaced each time we empty your totes that help keep odors to a minimum and therefore less attractive to pests.

What do you do with the food scraps when they get to Exeter Agri-Energy or their designated processing facility?

We are proud to say that all food scraps collected by Agri-Cycle are sustainably managed either at a licensed anaerobic digestion or composting facilities, and never go to landfills or incinerators. The food waste processed at the Exeter Agri-Energy anaerobic digestion facility and at other farm-based partner facilities are converted to renewable energy. Biproducts from this process are used as animal bedding and soil amendments.

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What is “anaerobic digestion”?

Anaerobic digestion is a biological process in which microorganisms break down organic material in the absence of oxygen. Methane and other gases that result are captured in commercial digesters and combusted to generate electricity, heat, and fertilizer. Biogas can also be processed into renewable natural gas and transportation fuels. Anaerobic digestion is even greener than composting food waste—because it completely eliminates harmful greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.

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How do you collect the food scraps?

We have a fleet of vehicles made for the open road and small city streets. In most cases, we use a small rendering truck with tipper-bucket to empty our 64-gallon totes staged in a convenient and out of way location. In other situations we utilize dump-trailers for industrial solid waste collections, or vacuum-pump tanker trucks that specialize in liquids collections from partners such as breweries, processing facilities, and grease traps.

What about food waste that has expired in its packaging. Do I have to separate it?

No you don’t! We accept damaged or expired packaged foods, including items in metal cans, plastic jugs, and cardboard boxes. Please note: We do not accept packaging with a low volume of waste or anything packaged in glass.

How do you get the food out of the packaging?

We load the packaged food into the depackaging machine, which uses a series of fans, paddles and screens to separate the food from the packaging.  

Do you do any staff training? How about signage that clearly states guidelines?

We offer staff trainings upon request and provide signage that clearly states what we can and cannot accept.

Do you have any marketing materials, such as window stickers or table tents, if I want to publicize our efforts?

Yes. And we are happy to share them!

Want some? Just ask.