Frequently Asked Questions — Answered occasionally

We would be happy to answer any questions you may have about our services. If your question isn't addressed below, please don't hesitate to contact us.

Commercial Collection

How do we know what can be composted?
Will a composting program attract bugs and rodents?
What happens if trash is found in our collection cart?
What is your collection schedule?

Tipping & Acceptance

How do I know you can accept our waste?
What happens when a load is rejected for contamination?
Do you accept construction & demolition debris?

Commercial Collection

How do we know what can be composted?
Training, signage, communication. Keeping contaminants out of the compost stream by source-separating is critical to the success of your composting program. To help your program be a success, Black Bear will train staff on acceptable products, provide helpful signage, and make ourselves available to answer questions on compostable items.

Will a composting program attract bugs and rodents?
No more than your current waste collection process. Remember, it's the same waste you currently have, just being collected in a different container. Black Bear is committed to running a clean service and to this end, provides compostable collection bags and swaps carts with clean ones at time of collection.

What happens if trash is found in our collection cart?
Accidents can happen and we can help you get a few contaminants out of your cart and into a nearby trash container. However, for anything more than that, we will place a rejection sticker on the cart and leave it for you to correct.

What's your collection schedule?
We collect Monday-Friday at a frequency that makes sense for our customers. Most customers have their material picked up once or twice a week.

Tipping/Acceptance Questions

How do I know you can accept our waste?
See our Tipping & Acceptance page for the most common materials accepted. If you are not sure, please contact us to check before you attempt to bring it to our facility.

What happens when a load is rejected for contamination?
We charge a $25 rejection fee, hauling and any other costs Black Bear incurs to dispose the load at the Augusta County landfill.

Do you accept construction & demolition debris?
We can only except clean waste wood (no nails), paper/cardboard, drywall, and land clearing debris.

Compostable materials

Do you accept biodegradable plastics?
BPI Logo We only accept plastics that are certified compostable by the Biodegradable Plastics Institute (see logo), as they have been tested to completely break down under commercial composting conditions. Unfortunately, not all plastics made from plants or marked as biodegradable reliably decompose during the composting process.

Do you accept waxed paper/cardboard?
Yes.