Written by Mairead McGonagle
If you’ve ever wanted an easy, impactful way to make the world a better place, composting is the way to go. Jamaica Plain-based Bootstrap Compost is Boston’s premier, year-round residential & commercial food scrap pick-up service. By supporting local farms & the community, Bootstrap is able to divert thousands of pounds of organic, useful material from landfills every week. So what exactly is composting and how can we get involved? We chatted with Igor, co-founder of Bootstrap, and Mari, a local Southie resident who’s been using the service for over 2 years. Here’s the low-down:
How exactly does Bootstrap Compost work?
We are a residential and commercial food scrap pickup service that makes composting easy for busy urbanites who lack the space or time to do it themselves. Subscribers pay either $8 for weekly or $10 for biweekly (every two weeks) service. During that time, you can fill your bucket with your organic waste – banana peels, apple cores, left overs, paper towels, brown paper bags, coffee, eggshells – pretty much anything goes except meat or dairy products. On your pickup day, you place your bucket on your stoop or front porch; we pick it up and swap it out with a clean one. Easy breezy.
How many communities/residents/businesses do you serve currently?
We serve the majority of Greater Boston. We have over 1200 residential clients and 70+ commercial institutions using our service, including cafes, restaurants and offices. If you’d like to lead the green movement and get composting started at your workplace – give us a shout!
What makes Bootstrap Compost successful? Bootstrap is a service that makes it easy AND cool to do the right thing for the community, and it starts with that one banana peel not going into the landfill. That old cliche, “think globally and act locally?” Well for many, Bootstrap is not just a service; it’s a lifestyle choice that aligns with the values of a socially and environmentally responsible consumer. On our end, we maintain our loyal following by stressing consistency, reliability and dedication in our service. Bootstrap prides itself on its three-tiered mission. 1.) Keep food scraps out of landfills, thereby reducing the emission of harmful GHGs like methane into the atmosphere. 2.) Create soil for local growers and gardeners, which empowers the local food system and reduces our dependence on fossil fuel based fertilizers. 3.) Educate and empower the community by being a platform for sustainability and resource management.
So why Southie? We spoke with Mari, who started using the service two years ago while making small and attainable changes toward living a more sustainable lifestyle. As a place that’s bustling with young, smart professionals, we have the opportunity to make going green a (really cool) movement! She’s confident that by encouraging more Southie residents to get on board with Bootstrap, we can make our community a better place. “As part of this younger generation, it’s our responsibility to begin mitigating the effects of climate change and composting through Bootstrap is such an easy way to start – and if Southie residents see that you don’t have to change your entire lifestyle to care about the environment, and they begin to make even a small contribution, the collective impact would be huge.”
Interested in reducing your footprint and getting involved? The team dishes their dirt and advice here. Then, visit bootstrapcompost.com/sign-up to get started.
