Turning bad apples into good dirt.

Bad Apple Compost works with people and businesses in the Toledo area to transform food scraps and other organic waste into high-quality compost for healthy plants and a healthier planet.

We offer a range of residential, commercial, and zero waste event collection services to make the process of composting food scraps more accessible in Toledo and the surrounding metropolitan area. If DIY is more your style, check out our consulting services and educational opportunities.

Together we can reduce food waste, improve soil quality and build climate resilience. Do the rot thing and join the composting revolution!

Our finished compost is currently only available to curbside service subscribers. If you would like to purchase compost made from food scraps, check out our partner Hirzel Farms.

What is composting?

Composting is the practice of recycling organic materials such as food scraps and yard waste to create a nutrient-rich soil amendment that can be used to fertilize crops and restore soil structure. Essentially, it’s the process of turning bad apples into good dirt.

The EPA estimates that Americans waste 40 million tons of food yearly. Most goes to landfills, producing methane, a potent greenhouse gas causing climate change.

Composting offers us a sustainable way to manage our waste and support our community.

  • Restores soil structure in habitats impacted by urbanization, deforestation and unsustainable farming practices.

  • Boosts plant immunity against pests and disease thereby reducing the need for pesticides.

  • Returns essential nutrients and microbes to the soil food web, which is the bedrock of a healthy ecosystem.

  • Protects the environment by capturing carbon and preventing flooding.

  • Prevents greenhouses gases by diverting organic waste from the landfill.

Compost Services

  • Bad Apple Compost will collect your food scraps, plant trimmings, and paper products from your front porch then turn them into a nutrient rich soil amendment with the power of composting. With a range of service options to choose from composting has never been easier! Pickup available in Toledo, Sylvania, Maumee, Perrysburg, Bowling Green, Rossford, Oregon, Holland and Lambertville.

  • Let us help your business become more sustainable through composting. We provide a range of options for businesses and organizations in the Toledo metro area to sustainably manage waste. We provide clean containers to collect food scraps and other compostable items, then pick up the bin on a schedule that works for you and turn your unwanted waste into incredible compost. When the compost is ready we will donate your share to one of our partner growers. We also provide a quarterly impact report for you to share with stakeholders. Reach out today and learn more about commercial compost collection available in the Toledo area!

  • Got a wedding, birthday, retirement or baby shower coming up and want to handle your waste sustainably? Bad Apple Compost has got you covered through our zero waste event services. We’ll work with you to minimize waste at your event by donating unserved food, composting food scraps and recycling other materials. More fun, less waste, and zero guilt!

  • Interested in starting your own compost bin but don’t know where to start? Let us help! From coaching to compost bin installation, we’re here to support you.

  • Learn how to compost your own scraps in a hands-on workshop or request Angie as a guest speaker.

Our Impact

16,397 pounds of organic “waste”

That’s how much food scraps, coffee grounds, cardboard and paper we’ve diverted from the landfill.

4,901 pounds of compost

That’s how much compost we’ve made with all those scraps. It’s enough to grow 26.488 tomatoes.

1,515 pounds of methane

That’s how much greenhouse gas we’ve kept out of the atmosphere by diverting organic waste.