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 Hoop Compost!
Hoop Compost is a device designed to give users an alternative method of separating organic waste for compost. It is a household product that fits into the trash can you already have and greatly reduces the mess and smell as compared to traditional counter-top bins. Biobag Associate spoke to with Kenneth at Hoop Compost about the organization. Their interview is transcribed below.
What led you to start your food scrap collection product?
The idea of Hoop Compost was born out of dissatisfaction with the traditional kitchen composting methods, compost bins in particular. Through research and surveys, we found that the flaws in traditional countertop bins discouraged many people from separating their organic waste: they’re hard to clean, take up limited counter-top space, and can be unpleasant to look at or smell.
So we asked a simple question: what if kitchen composting could be easier, cleaner, and more natural to adopt? Instead of adding a separate container, what if we created a lightweight device that attaches directly to your existing kitchen trash bin? With Hoop, separation becomes intuitive—like a built-in compost compartment within the bin. It requires little to no cleaning, uses no extra counter space, and preserves kitchen aesthetics.
These advantages encourage proper composting at home. Applied at scale, we can significantly reduce the organic waste that ends up mixed with regular garbage—and, in turn, help cut greenhouse gas emissions associated with landfilled food waste.
What can be collected with HOOP and how does it work?
You can collect any standard organic waste including; fruit peels, vegetable peels, seeds, eggshells, and other animal-product leftovers—any non-liquid food waste you produce in the kitchen, tissue paper, etc—can go into Hoop. I’ve recently started using Hoop for coffee grounds and filter paper, which has made composting part of my coffee routine much easier. You can also use the food scraps or coffee grounds you collect to create compost for gardening.
Here's how it works:
Attach Hoop to the rim of your existing trash can. Open Hoop and discard food waste, vegetable trimmings, coffee grounds and any other organic waste. Any spill-over stays in the trash, greatly reducing the mess commonly associated with traditional compost bins. Close Hoop to create a contact seal helping reduce odor and fruit flies. The best part, Hoop is out of sight -- not on your kitchen counter! It simplifies in-home organic waste collection for compost and is out of the way & less visible in kitchen (alternative to a traditional compost bin). The device improves cleanliness, reduces odor & limits fruit flies and fits most existing trash can and is easy to install & clean.
Hoop Compost has been using Biobag products since their initial release back in 2017. From the start, Biobag has been an outstanding partner, quick to provide quotes, reliable with deliveries, and incredibly helpful in navigating the best product options for our needs. I reached out to several manufacturers in the early days, but none offered the same level of support and professionalism. Additionally, the ability to white label has been a huge asset for us. We’ve never had a single issue with the product, and we trust that Biobag maintains high standards in the materials they use, something that can’t be said for every manufacturer. With BioBag, we feel confident in the environmental integrity of what we’re offering our customers.
Who do you serve and how can people get in touch with you if they want to get your product?
From the beginning, our big focus was to make Hoop a product that is universal and accessible to everybody—whether you cook daily for your family in your kitchen, you’re a college student separating food waste in a dorm, or you’re looking for a composting solution for your RV—we want to make it simple and easy to do the right thing. Our product is available at www.hoopcompost.com, with a contact form if you’d like to reach out. We love hearing your stories, experiences, and ideas on how we can better serve our community.
Why is composting food waste so important in the first place? When compostable waste is thrown out with regular garbage, it ends up in landfills. Buried under mountains of trash, it breaks down through a process called anaerobic composting—where microbes decompose organic matter without oxygen, releasing methane gas into the atmosphere. Methane is one of the most powerful greenhouse gases—28 to 36 times more harmful than carbon dioxide (CO₂). Its impact on the climate is devastating and accelerating.
Feel free to add any additional information about your operation as you see fit.
Hoop Compost has been in design and development for over ten years, going through many different iterations. It started with Nick tinkering and hand-building early units in his garage. With the steady support of our community—and the talented, hard-working team at Unlimit Ventures, a product development and engineering studio in San Diego, CA—we’ve refined Hoop into a product that’s better, more durable, more reliable, and easier to use.
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