Each month, we will highlight community heroes that are making a difference in their communities and working to make their local environments cleaner and healthier.
This month, we are taking a look at NOPE Compost in VA!
NOPE Compost is a composting service based in VA. Biobag Associate spoke to Ryan with NOPE Compost about the organization. Their interview is transcribed below.
What led you to start your composting operation?
We started as a family business with father and son team Chip & Marshall Hall starting operations in 2009. After learning about the numerous environmental impacts of composting, the two realized there was an unmet need for food scrap collection services in Virginia. Their aim was to provide logistics and hauling services for schools, businesses, and restaurants so that this organic material could be delivered to permitted compost processing partners in Virginia.
Now, 15 years later, the NOPE Compost Co. team remains passionate and excited about diverting food waste from landfills and helping their composting partners create a nutrient-rich amendment to enrich Virginia soils. With over 5 million pounds of food scraps and organic material diverted in 2023, the team is committed to working with local partners who want to make a positive environmental impact through composting!
Who do you serve and how can people get in touch with you if they want to start composting?
NOPE serves restaurants, schools, and businesses of all sizes in Central and Eastern Virginia. This includes Charlottesville, Richmond, Williamsburg, and Virginia Beach.
You can find us at nopeva.com, Nope.VA on Instagram, NOPE Compost Co. on Facebook & LinkedIn, and @NOPEinVA on X.
Our website is the best place to get more information about our services and to reach out to us about starting food scrap collection with NOPE Compost Co.
How much organic material do you typically take in on a weekly basis?
We divert around 100,000 lbs. or 50 tons of food scraps on a weekly basis.
Feel free to add any additional information about your operation as you see fit.
When we were first starting out and experimenting with truck designs, we tested all kinds of materials and strategies to try to find the best method for containing food scraps and residual liquids for transport. Randomly, pool noodles and a baby pool were part of one of our earliest set ups, ha. Our truck designs have come a long way since then!
