Rust Belt Riders pitches municipal composting to Pepper Pike council
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Summary
Zoe of Rust Belt Riders outlined a municipal composting program for Pepper Pike, citing diversion of about 4,500 tons of food scraps in 2025 and describing startup costs (corral $2,000; outreach $1,500; bins serviced at $85 per lift). Council asked about participation rates, site logistics and home pickup options.
At a special Pepper Pike council meeting on March 31, Zoe of Rust Belt Riders presented a municipal composting program and answered council questions about cost, logistics and participation.
"We're an organization that started 11 years ago...diverting approximately 4,500 tons of food scraps out of the landfill in 2025," Zoe said, describing the group's thermophilic composting process and municipal drop-off model that accepts meat and dairy because of high-temperature processing.
Zoe outlined how sites operate: a corral with lockable, animal-resistant 64-gallon containers, resident registration with a unique code, ongoing monitoring, and data dashboards that report pounds diverted by site. She described operational partners and said sites begin with four bins, with container numbers increased based on enrollment.
Costs and program structure discussed included a first-year startup figure (listed in meeting materials as approximately $6,700), a corral construction cost of $2,000, community outreach ~$1,500, and bucket prices at about $12 each. Zoe said the service charges $85 each time a full container is tipped at the composting facility. She described municipal options ranging from drop-off sites to an at-home pickup service (the latter available now for residents willing to pay higher fees).
Council members pressed on expected participation. Zoe cited examples from nearby cities: "Shaker Heights had about 10% participation with municipal drop-off sites," and said Rust Belt Riders currently serves roughly 5,000 households across Cuyahoga County. Members discussed outreach to schools, branding of containers, whether the compost product could be sold or returned to residents as a subsidy, and how the city might host corrals in locations where residents already visit.
Zoe said Rust Belt Riders currently composes at a facility in North Canton and partners with local operators for turning and finishing; the company provides data dashboards and a site point of contact for coordination with city staff.
The council asked staff to return with contract language and cost options if the city chooses to pilot the program; Zoe said next steps would be a contract that outlines first-year costs, service rates and pilot parameters.
