You Can Compost

KC Can Compost is a nonprofit that offers composting services to residents and commercial operations of Kansas City. Its goal is to make it as easy as possible for people to divert their food waste from landfills via commercial curbside services, residential drop-off locations, and Smart Cans. The nonprofit is one of only three entities in the country currently offering this type of compost technology. Cofounder and CEO of the nonprofit, Kristan Chamberlain, explains how the organization works.

Q|What can people compost with KC Can Compost services?

A| It’s contrary to what people can put in their backyard composting, where they’re a little bit more limited. For commercial composting with businesses and residents, we accept all food products, including bones, meat, dairy, fish, fish bones, shells, and anything organic can go back into our compost collection. So there’s no sorting necessary with our service, which is especially important for restaurants and high-volume food waste producers.

Q|How does the nonprofit work with commercial entities?

A|Our commercial operations are designed for everybody, from a large-scale food waste producer, like a Costco or a city hall, and all the way down to the level of food trucks. We figure out how much organic waste they’re producing and currently sending to the landfill. We provide them all the equipment they need. We set the whole thing up, so it’s very turnkey. Then, we pick them [the food scraps] up on a regular schedule and regular route, just like a regular trash service would.

Q|Do you have services for individual Kansas City residents?

A|We have public drop-off locations around the city. I believe we’re up to 21. And that just allows people to drop off in their neighborhood. So again, we’re not driving big trucks around collecting curbside. Our region’s not as dense as New York City or Boston, so we’re trying to mitigate the emissions from a curbside model.

Q|Tell me about the new Smart Can composting system.

A|So the Smart Can program launched on October 3, and what they do is provide 24/7 access to all Kansas City residents for free. They download an app to open the can and then put in their food waste from home at any time and as much as they need to. The reason we were introducing this technology is it enables us to provide services to more residents, while at the same time, it allows us to control the contamination going into the waste stream. The initial pilot includes three locations. An additional five Smart Cans will be deployed by the end of 2024.

The Smart Cans are similar to KC Can’s other drop off locations, but instead of a locked can that requires a membership subscription, they are free cans that can be opened with an app.

Q|Why should people compost?

A|As a country, we’re throwing away enough food waste to fill Arrowhead Stadium every single day of the year, and that food waste, when it is sent to the landfill, creates methane gas. Methane gas is a greenhouse gas 86 times more potent than CO₂. So it’s having this insulating, heating effect on our planet, which is causing these extreme weather events and climate warming.

The food scraps collected by the nonprofit are sent to Missouri Organic, a commercial facility that processes it into compost then sells it back to the community.

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For more information, visit KCCanCompost.com.

This article was originally published in the January/February 2025 issue of Missouri Life.