Vokashi You Sort, BYOB Zero-Waste Service FAQ:

What items are accepted in our Vokashi You Sort, BYOB Zero-Waste Service?

We accept a wide range of waste streams, including: All Plastic Packaging, Cigarette Butts, Coffee Capsules, Corks, Cosmetics Packaging, Eyewear, Fabrics & Clothing, Food & Drink Pouches, Ink & Toner Cartridges, Media Storage, Milk & Juice Cartons, Office Supplies, Oral Care Packaging, Party Supplies & Disposables, Pet Food Packaging, Plastic Bottle Caps, PPE - Masks & Gloves, Shoes & Footwear, Sporting Goods, Styrofoam™, Toys, Used Cleaning Supplies, Water Filters, and Wires & Cords.

What items are not accepted?

We do not accept any items that are not part of our 24 waste streams. It's important to keep Cigarette Butts heavily-protected–even double-bagged–to prevent inner-bag puncture and waste stream contamination.

How should I fill my BYOB bags?

Each external bag can hold up 24 approved waste streams. Please ensure that you only fill each inner-bag with the specific waste stream items accepted and avoid including any glass, batteries, organics, or soiled materials. Seal the bag securely using a reliable method.

Additionally, it is NOT acceptable to have multiple inner-bags of any single waste stream and there can be a maximum only of 24 inner-bags. As an example, you can't place daily pet food packaging inside of a plastic bag and throw that inner-bag each day into the larger bag. When Vokashi performs the final repackaging for delivery to TerraCycle, all of those pet food packaging distinct waste stream items must be in a single inner-bag!

How are the items I send to Vokashi recycled by TerraCycle?

We adhere to TerraCycle's high recycling standards. Once we collect your bags, we open and re-package them into our Vokashi Zero-Waste Service Bags, carefully sorted by our 24 waste streams. These bags are then sent to TerraCycle for processing and recycling.

How can I order the Vokashi You Sort, BYOB Zero-Waste Service?

You can pack up your own bags, all inner-bagged, and then order the collection of the right here from Vokashi directly or from an authorized "Vokashi Community Zero-Waste Collector" in your area.

I've already paid for collection, how do I schedule it?

When your bags are full, seal them, and contact your Vokashi rep or simply reply back to the confirmation email that you got when you paid for your Vokashi You Sort, BYOB Zero-Waste Service. Otherwise, use our contact form to let us know.

How much do you charge to Pick-up Full Bags?

Collection Fee: We charge a Collection Fee for picking up, based on the borough:

• Brooklyn - $75

• Queens - $100

• Manhattan, Staten Island, or the Bronx - $125 (plus, any Congestion Surcharge, TBD.)

I'm a Vokashi Compost Customer, Can I give my Bags to the Compost Collection Driver?

YES! If you are a Vokashi Composting Customer, give the your bags to the Vokashi collection team member, following your normal collection procedure (e.g. at your doorstep), and we’ll pick it up at the scheduled time. When you receive your compost collection email, kindly reply to let us know how many of each bag you are having collected. Ask your Vokashi representative if any added Collection Fee will apply (vehicles have limited space).

Do I need to Mark or Indicate what Waste Streams are inside my own (BYOB Service) inner-bags?

No, not for this service. You only need indicate the waste stream on the outside of the Vokashi Zero-Waste Service (purple) Bags.

How do I arrange for a pickup of the filled bags?

If you ordered the service directly from Vokashi, you could arrange for a pickup by Vokashi itself, and they will charge a pick-up fee based on the borough. If you purchased Vokashi You Sort, BYOB Zero-Waste Service from a Vokashi Community Zero-Waste Collector, they would handle the pickup, and the pickup fee will be arranged in advance or negotiated directly with them.

What happens to the waste streams in the bags?

The cost of recycling the waste stream is included in the price of the Vokashi You Sort, BYOB Zero-Waste Service. Vokashi ensures that the waste is properly processed and recycled through our TerraCycle partner's waste management system. TerraCycle guarantees that they recycle all compliant materials that are collected. The items are received by material recovery partners, where they are sorted into individual material components. Each material is then recycled into a raw format that can be used to make new products.

What is the Vokashi, 30-minute Minimum 1on1 Advisor Zoom Session all about?

Get live zoom support to help you plan that big clean-out, answer your specific recycling questions, plan a future service, a special event or for individual or household onboarding / training sessions.

How much does a Vokashi, 30-minute Minimum 1on1 Advisor Zoom Session cost?

Get live zoom support by prepaying for a $60 half hour session with overage billed after the session at $30/15-minute increment.

What's the Vokashi 1-Hour, Group Advisor Zoom Session all about?

Participate in a group live zoom with 5-6 other people where we go over how to use our Vokashi Zero-Waste services, the waste streams and devote up to about 10-minutes to each individual participant's needs, in a group-zoom-session setting.

How much does a Vokashi 1-Hour, Group Advisor Zoom Session cost?

Your first session is free with your initial purchase of our Vokashi Zero-Waste Service Bags (totaling $200 or more). If your initial purchase is less, or if you want to attend additional sessions, you can participate in a one hour live zoom group zero-waste support session for just $25, which includes about 10-minutes dedicated to your questions and specific waste-streams and habits.

Still have questions?

If you have any further questions or need more information about using the Vokashi You Sort, BYOB Zero-Waste Service, please refer to our Overage FAQ section. If you require additional support, you can also reach out to us via the "Support & Help" tab, where you can book a consultation session or seek assistance through email.

We hope this FAQ section clarifies any queries you may have about our Vokashi You Sort, BYOB Zero-Waste Service. Feel free to ask if there's anything else we can help you with!

Welcome to Bring-Your-Own-Bag, Vokashi Zero-Waste Service! We're excited to assist you with our innovative recycling solutions. Here's everything you need to know about our Overage & Tipping-Fee Schedule and Frequently Asked Questions:

Overage & Tipping-Fee Schedule:

Unusual Recycling Requirements: If after our final sorting, the actual Labor and Tipping-Fees are determined to be greater than the estimated Labor and Tipping-Fees, you will be charged any overage (based on a labor rate of $35/hour and the Tipping-Fee schedule below). Note: The average customer pick up should not exceed the estimate unless they have more than 10% "Small-Items" (see Tipping-Fee schedule, below).

Tipping-fee is equal to the volume of material that gets sorted and placed into (occupies) a mix of up to 24 Small, Large or Extra-Large Vokashi Zero-Waste Bags.

Small-Items, $7.50 per Gallon: Cigarette Butts (this stream must be bagged separately!), Coffee Capsules, Corks, Cosmetics Packaging, Eyewear, Ink & Toner Cartridges, Media Storage, Oral Care Packaging, Plastic Bottle Caps, PPE - Masks & Gloves, Water Filters, Wires & Cords.

Large-Items, $1.60 per Gallon: Fabrics & Clothing, Office Supplies, Shoes & Footwear, Sporting Goods, and Toys.

X-Large-Items, $1.10 per Gallon: All Plastic Packaging, Food & Drink Pouches, Milk & Juice Cartons, Party Supplies & Disposables, Pet Food Packaging, Styrofoam™, and Used Cleaning Supplies.

Service, Overage & Tipping-Fee FAQ:

Vokashi Zero-Waste Service is designed to minimize waste and reduce your carbon footprint. By using our Bring-Your-Own-Bag (BYOB) recycling service, you can conveniently recycle 24 different waste-streams. We sort and re-package your waste into our Zero-Waste Service Collection Bags for processing by TerraCycle.

Please note that Cigarette Butts must be placed within their own bag to prevent contamination. Ensure the bag is thick and well-sealed to avoid punctures.

This service is ideal for those who may not be able to fill up our bags with a single waste-stream, want prompt service, have limited storage space, or find it challenging to pre-sort all 24 waste-streams individually.

How much does the service cost?

The service cost ranges from $45.00 to $99.00, depending on the size of the bag you choose (33 or 42-gallon), AND whether you are placing all of the waste stream items within that large bag (we sort for you) or you are placing each waste stream within an inner-bag (you sort). Additionally, there is a Collection Fee per order based on the borough: Brooklyn ($75), Queens ($100), and Manhattan/Bronx/Staten Island ($125).

What do Unusual Recycling Requirements mean?

Unusual Recycling Requirements refer to any deviations from our standard waste-stream categories in common amounts. If your pickup contains more than 10% of Small-Items, according to our Tipping-Fee schedule, you may be charged an overage. Please ensure that your waste-stream adheres to the defined categories to avoid any additional charges.

What is Overage and when would that be charged?

Overage refers to the situation where the actual Labor and Tipping-Fees exceed the estimated charges. This can occur if the sorting process requires additional time and resources due to a higher percentage of Small-Items or Unusual Recycling Requirements. In such cases, you will be charged the overage based on a labor rate of $35/hour and the Tipping-Fee schedule.

What are your Tipping Fee and Labor rates?

The Tipping Fee is determined by the amount of material sorted and placed into Small, Large, or Extra-Large Vokashi Zero-Waste Bags. The rates are as follows:

- Small-Items: $7.50 per gallon

- Large-Items: $1.60 per gallon

- X-Large-Items: $1.10 per gallon

- Sorting Labor Rate: $35 per hour

For any additional questions, you can refer to our FAQ section covering accepted and non-accepted items, bag filling instructions, and how your items are recycled by TerraCycle. If you need further assistance, you can reach out to us via the "Support & Help" tab, where you can also book a consultation session.

We're here to make recycling easier and more sustainable for you! Let us know if there's anything else we can assist you with.