New to composting or material reuse? Start here.

The short answer: composting is a shared responsibility.

Unfortunately, traditional waste management still prioritizes the same driver behind many of our societal decisions; convenience. But convenience often comes at the cost of sustainability, community resilience, and long-term care. Composting isn’t new. It’s been practiced for generations and is already embraced by many individuals and organizations across Hampton Roads doing incredible work. What’s emerging now is a growing community of people who care — about each other, about our neighborhoods, and about the environment we all share. The truth is: no single person or company has the full answer. But together, through small choices, consistent and collective action, we create an ecosystem of renewal. Composting is one piece of that larger system — and when we each do our part, the impact grows exponentially.

The average U.S. household throws away nearly 300 pounds of food waste per year, most of it ending up in landfills where it creates methane, a greenhouse gas over 25x more potent than CO₂. By composting, that same household could reduce its landfill contribution by up to 30%, cut methane emissions, and help create nutrient-rich soil that supports local farms and gardens; instead of relying on synthetic fertilizers.

On a community level, widespread composting can cut municipal waste disposal costs, reduce flooding by improving soil absorption, and keep valuable organic matter circulating locally.

We currently accept pre and post-consumer cardboard and paper collection. We accept uncoated cardboard (such as shipping boxes), brown paper towel or toilet paper rolls, and non-glossy, uncoated paper towels and napkins. We ask that you flatten any boxes and remove any shipping labels prior to our collection, however once collected we remove all adhesive residue including stickers, tape and labels.

Yes, to keep Shredz useful and avoid contamination, we ask that cardboard be dry, free of food or household waste, and separated from other materials. If you have questions about sorting, we are always happy to walk through examples.

Yes! We collect cardboard from both residents and businesses. For food scraps, we connect folks with proven composting partners who are best equipped to support home or commercial volumes. 

Cardboard is processed into Shredz and distributed for  composting, gardening, reuse, retail packaging, and/ or partner projects locally. For food scraps, we connect you with trusted local composting partners who are masters of transforming food waste into soil. 

Add an aCurbside recycling sends materials far from the community, often through complex systems which still have the possibility for contamination, which would lead to materials still ending in the landfill. Scrapz priorities local handling, transparent flows, and local reuse pathways so that materials are kept locally and benefit the businesses and communities they originate from.

We love hearing new ideas! Reach out with the name and mission of the organizaation, and we'll connect to explore allignment.