I am a former customer of City Compost and highly recommend that you consider other services, such as Black Earth. Owner Adam was rude to me during our correspondences and refused to make up missed service despite my timely payments. I am not surprised at all that his employees have complained of withheld payment and that the issue was escalated to the judicial system (see photo). Shame on Adam for taking advantage of customers and employees with seemingly no remorse. read more

City Compost - Lawsuit: https://www.mass.gov/doc/city-compost-v-fair-labor-division-lb-23-0038/download - Recycling Center Near Me

I will always recommends Adam bin place. easy place to locate. He has a lot of bins to choose.

This has to be the worst recycling attempt at business in Massachusetts! I signed up with them way back when Boston's Greenfest was held on city hall plaza. They have given me nothing but trouble! During my early years, I had to repeatedly beg for my compost...most of the time, i got nothing! Then they finally gave me some. Then, a year or so ago, Adam had the audacity to question my political beliefs for in his unwarranted and unsolicited opinion, I should donate my compost. My views are mine and none of his concern. I pay to have kitchen waste picked up and expect compost in return. Now, I can't even get service! I haven't had service for months! I think they need to be shutdown permanently. read more

communication was clear and concise, plenty of products available. I'll be back, I'm sure. thank you

Like most folks here, I'm very displeased with Adam J ( owner) and City Compost. Like others who want to do their part in helping the Earth and supporting a small business, I foolishly gave Adam J 4 years of my business. All you read is true...unprofessional, rude, unreliable service and the worst,,, he will continue to take your money despite requesting to cancel service. He should be ashamed of himself with all these awful reviews. People are pissed and rightfully so. Adam's last email blast to customers just the other day, after 3 weeks of non service, and this man writes that he would like us to stop bombarding him with emails so he can focus!! Yes, this man seriously requested this of his paying customers. Please... do your research, and take all these reviews seriously and be sure to take your composting needs elsewhere. read more

City Compost - My 3 week old UNserviced bucket. Adam J will make sure to take the money out of my account still !! - Recycling Center Near Me

Prompt response and great communication. The product is in excellent condition and price was reasonable.

Great local company to do business with and reasonable prices. Looking forward to dealing with them again.

Here comes yet another review of City Compost echoing what so many others have said. I was with City Compost for 4 years, and at first, I was very satisfied. I liked that they gave me a clean bucket with each pickup, and the price was great. It has been a direct slide downhill in the past few years, and once thinking about my compost, reporting missed pickups and sending email after email started to feel like an unpaid part-time job, I realized it was time to cut the cord. Adam needs to hire an office manager because he is clearly not good at keeping track of billing, refunds or tracking missed service. I don't even know what the point of the missed service form is because reporting repeated instances of missed service has never gotten my bucket picked up in a timely manner. Most recently, I reported that my bucket had still not been picked up, after my previous pickup was also missed (it's been six weeks so far, and I'm paying for bi-weekly serivice), and then I got an email saying Adam was raising rates. I very much want his employees to be paid a decent wage, but the problems seem to extend far beyond just a lack of reliable help. If he treats his employees the way he treats his customers, it makes sense they wouldn't want to stick around. It's a real shame that so many people have had such horrible experiences, but I can no longer be patient or recommend this company. read more

Highly recommended seller. Very good and easy transaction. Items were as posted and reasonably priced.

Updating because it's been almost two years since I cancelled and Adam just contacted me to "rectify" past mistakes. It took two months, seven emails (one of which bounced back because they shut their email off), and a credit card chargeback for City Compost to FINALLY cancel my service in June 2020. Not once did I receive an apology and they tried to make me feel guilty for doing the chargeback. (I do not feel guilty, just to confirm.) Thanks to Adam's message I got to read all of the new one star reviews that have been posted over the past two years and I see he is up to the same fraudulent, scammy shenanigans. However, my saga has a happy ending! I switched to Bootstrap compost and now use Black Earth compost (Bootstrap is not available where I currently live) and both have been totally wonderful and like a breath of fresh air compared to City Compost. City Compost is truly a bottom of the bucket business. Do not give them your money! read more

I recently installed a new fence and needed to dispose of the old materials, which were mostly rotting pallets. I reached out to Adam for help with recycling them, and he responded promptly. A few weeks later, he sent two of his guys out to handle the job. They completed it efficiently and quickly, all at a very reasonable price. I have no complaints and would highly recommend City Compost for any junk removal projects read more

Read the reviews. All of them are true. Under no circumstances should you use this business or work for this business. They are unreliable, unprofessional, unresponsive, and completely useless. After having already sent approximately a million emails to this company to cancel my service, I don't know if I can spend any more time on them. Everyone else has said all the problems but the bottom line is do no do business with them. They are not just some guys passionate about composting that you really want to give a chance. They are a trainwreck with no customer service skills. Hot tip: If you are on their trainwreck and are ready to finally cancel your service, not only tell them that you're canceling, but also cut off payments to them because they are inept at actually canceling service (I'm still trying 7 months later...). read more

As everyone else here has said, do not do business with this company. The chance that they will pick up your compost on your scheduled day is about 15%. I've also spent the last 6 weeks trying to cancel my business and have received no reply, and no reply to my three emails asking why I was randomly charged $54. It is so wild to me that this company continues to exist. read more

If I could give them zero stars I would. Echoing all the things mentioned in other reviews. I've been trying to cancel service for at least 6 weeks after one excuse after another about missed pick ups for months even prior to Covid. The final straw for me was getting an email that we hadn't left our bucket out for pickup on a Sunday at 3pm when our pickup day was Wednesday, we'd left the bucket out till Friday, had no communication that it would be delayed until an email 1pm Sunday that our pickup was that day. Sorry I'm not telepathic, City Compost. Trying to cancel has been disastrous with continued emails every week saying we didn't leave our bucket out, no response to my reply saying we're canceling - as well as telling the driver - in person - that we'd been trying to cancel for weeks. Then I got response saying they'd gotten their shit together and could we give them another chance - to which I responded, no, please cancel. A few days later (this morning) I get an email that we didn't leave our bucket out - which really proves the point that they don't have their shit together! Don't waste your time, money etc. We shifted to Black Earth compost a month ago and they have been fantastic. Arrive same time every week and great start up process. read more

I wanted to use this service so much. I was composting at my last apartment and it's hard to give up once you are used to it! Well, now I can't put in a compost bin and am forced to use a service. This is not a good service. The bucket drop off was late, and over a month later there has never been a pick-up. I tried leaving the bucket out for days at a time, reporting issues on their service site, and emailing. They keep saying they are coming later after a pickup was missed, but never do. It sounds like they've taken too many clients and can't keep up with the pickups. It's really a shame. read more

I had a great purchase from City Compost located in Westminster. I was looking for some tomato starts for two different gardens. Great communication with Adam, the owner. A huge selection of plant starts. I will definitely use again. In our church garden, the produce goes to the local food pantry to share. Glad that Adam's business has helped supply us with the starts. Great Value and products! read more

This company is amazing. We have had 16 buckets of compost delivered so far. It is beautiful! And the service is amazing also - Adam answers email quickly and is so helpful. I volunteer at a garden where all the food goes to a food pantry (Loaves and Fishes). It is going to be a GREAT year thanks to you! Keep up the good work! read more

ive been with city compost for a year and during that time the pickups have been inconsistent or late with poor communication regarding delays. Email responses are slow and unapologetic. I had to cancel my automatic payments through my bank in order to stop service because my emails requesting cancellation went gone unanswered for three weeks and my card was charged despite this ongoing request. i do not recommend this company read more

It gets better folks.... we found out this company has been charging my husband $20 per month, even though we cancelled our service in October. He called Adam to discuss and he said that we were undercharged back when we had service, so he's been taking it out of our account to make up for that. So let me get this straight... your company made a mistake, and rather than telling us like an adult and either having us deal with it when we cancelled our service or forgiving the difference because it was your fault, you have been passively aggressively removing it from our bank account each month? And we only found out about it when my husband's card number changed and the payment didn't go through. Adam is refusing to reimburse us for these charges. Stay FAR away people; Bootstrap is a little more expensive but a FAR better company. read more

AWFUL customer service & UNRELIABLE sketchy service. You have to remind them constantly of where the bin is (even though location has never changed since start of service). If you question why they didn't collect the bin (which occurs frequently), they'll accuse you of not placing the bin the night prior. They like to blame and give you excuses; never once have they provided a solution or an apology. Talking to them is like talking to a robot that spits out the same prescribed excuses over and over. No accountability. No appreciation for customers. Just pure ego. On the last month of service, they were okay with collecting payment but didn't even bother collecting the bin. I requested a refund but they wouldn't honor my request. Shady and unscrupulous business. They are affordable in price but their low quality service has cost me so much headache and annoyance. I will never use them ever again. I will gladly pay more elsewhere for better service. read more

Very poor customer service. I started my service back in July, and purchased the stainless steel container for collecting scraps indoors. After a month, the stainless container leaked all over my floor, from being poorly manufactured. After trying to get in touch with them to be refunded or have the container replaced, I got no response for over a month. Finally received a response, and the owner had a million excuses and tried to explain that "he didn't make the container." ...of course you didn't, but you sold it to me and need to take responsibility for the goods you offer. Adam finally calls me. I want to cancel my service after the long and slow email chain of poor communication and poor customer service over the course of 3 MONTHS, and he had the nerve to pressure me into keeping my service. At the end of the call, Adam advised I would be refunded for the container and that my service was cancelled. I cancelled the service two weeks ago, and I checked my bank account today to see I was charged again for the pick up fee. I still have not been refunded for the container. Inexcusable, unprofessional, and irresponsible. I would not recommend this business. read more

Unfortunately used the service a year ago and after being billed for 12 weeks, I had only 3 pickups. I kept calling the owner (Adam) to ask when service would happen, and he kept giving one excuse after another. Since then had to keep demanding the owner for a refund, which finally resulted in calling the credit card company and showing proof of that so few pickups were performed, yet was charged for the full amount. There's a ton of reviews that read the same as mine, no doubt Adam will respond saying how this was a lie or some other excuse. Composting is a great activity, go with another company who actually desire helping the world, instead of cheating customers. read more

Another echo of everyone else's reviews - had service for a few years that went well but service has been extremely frustrating for quite some time. At first it was on a set schedule, but for quite some it has been sporadic at best. You get an email stating that service will occur the next day. The last time they claimed my bucket wasn't out when it definitely was. I'm supposed to have bi-weekly service, but my bucket has been out for well over a month. Last time they claimed it wasn't out (when it definitely was) and yesterday I received a notice they were coming today and it's still sitting out there! I tried being understanding and giving them a chance to pull things together, but I've hit my limit in dealing with missed service and lack of communication. I just signed up with another company, which hopefully will be better! read more

This company is a joke. Service is inconsistent. Due to administrative incompetence they had been undercharging me for presumably years at an old rate. When I called to update my payment information they charged me the difference in a lump sum--$187.33. They never said that they would be charging that or why and when I called him and demanded to know what the charge was he couldn't provide the invoice. He did say that he would provide my bank with an invoice if I disputed the charge. The customer service is apalling. I've been robbed. read more

Was with City Compost for about a month and a half. I think my compost was picked up once. Charges were inconsistent, communication was very poor, and, well...my compost barely got picked up. Avoid these guys. read more

Received a message from past employees--turns out, not only do they rip off customers, they also withhold wages from employees.

Just got started with City Compost and it couldn't be easier: You pick out a counter container (we went with the stainless steel counter bin) Then you get one 5 gallon bucket Each week (or every other week) you leave the big bucket outside your front door and you get a fresh clean bucket in return. I LOVE how much they take. Vegetables, meats, dairy, used napkins, you name it they can compost it. You also have the opportunity to receive soil back but because we're city dwellers ours will hopefully go to a community garden instead. read more

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I was using another service for composting that I loved. Adam, quite the salesman, called one Sunday afternoon with the promise of equal but cheaper service, and I bit the bullet and switched. Well now I feel completely bamboozled. They haven't been on time for a single delivery. One bucket is still sitting at the top of my driveway, waiting after two days. I've emailed to no response. At this point I feel kind of like the victim of a fraud. I've paid for a half year's service. They have all my credit card information, and so far the only service I've received was getting my bucket -- and even that was late. If i don't hear back from them soon, unfortunately I'll have to report them to my credit card company. Please don't get yourself wrapped up in this company. Pay a little extra for reliable service. It's out there. read more

I used another composting service and switched to City Compost to save money. It is definitely cheaper, but it is truly the most unreliable, low quality composting service. In the year that I have used them service was consistently awful. Bucket always arrived smelly and full of slime, often with cracked tops and almost never got picked up on the correct day and was mostly late, by up to a full week, many many times. There were many times I received emails that my bucket "wasn't out for pick-up" by the time they arrived even though I always put it out the night before, and when the service was just totally missed by their own error, I was never refunded. I cancelled this service in April and was still charged for May and then TWICE in June. I have reached out several times to be refunded, and while the owner confirmed I would be I have yet to see a refund or an apology. Don't hire this company! I will be going back to Bootstrap and paying the few extra dollars for reliable, friendly service! read more

Just cancelled my service with these guys. My comments will echo many of the others here -service is unreliable and customer service has been a nightmare. We switched from the ultra-reliable Bootstrap (never once had an issue) to City Compost because it was a couple dollars cheaper. In hindsight this was a mistake. The laundry list of issues with City Compost started from the very beginning of our service. We received an email from City Compost stating that bi-weekly service would begin on August 7, 2018, but our bin (located in a clearly visible location at our front door) was not collected that day or any time in August/early September. We heard nothing from City Compost about why service during this time didn't occur and we never received a refund for the service we paid for, but never received. Next, we were charged twice in November, and despite an email from Adam (the owner) saying it would be refunded - we never received the refund. Interestingly, both pickups were missed in November. So basically we were charged double for no service. Finally, after another missed pickup in March I was done with this service. At this point, only about 50% of the pickups that we paid for actually happened. When I finally got in touch with Adam he was rude and condescending, not taking responsibility for any of these issues, making excuses and blaming me for the lack of service. The cherry on top of it all was that I was charged again after cancelling my service. I regret leaving an ultra-reliable service and dealing with this headache for the past 8 months. read more

I am rating Adam Jankauskas's City Compost with 1 star only because the Yelp interface doesn't offer the opportunity to rate 0 or negative stars. What follows are facts and my opinion. Most of the preceding reviews sound like various allegations of incompetence. For me however, what Adam claimed he represented about City Compost and what I was allowed to understand about City Compost were very, very different. Before we even started with City Compost, I asked Adam specifically if we could wait before requesting compost back and "accumulate" it. Yes, I was clearly told. Then, after over 18 mos later, he introduced and imposed upon us a cockamamie 'no accrual' rule, requiring to claim compost within certain times or "lose" that compost. As if I had signed on to a game of "Simon Says". I ultimately requested all of our compost owed, or the money back, since we had enjoyed the benefit of neither. Nope. Adam was adamant in failing to deliver money or full compost. In the end, Adam offered about 1/4 of the compost we were due, and then he disappeared. He ignored subsequent correspondence. And what did we receive from our relationship with City Compost? Bumpkis, and a lot of hassle. At first blush, Adam's pitch for his City Compost might sound noble. Composting is certainly a good thing. But we were doing that already. We thought it was worthwhile to have him turn and tend it. We also thought we'd help a local guy get a start and in the end we felt absolutely screwed. Now, given the entirely of my dealings with him, IMHO I wouldn't hire Adam to compost a carrot top. But don't rely on this review, make your own decision on him, and consider asking a LOT of questions and getting the answers CLEARLY in writing before committing a penny. And also, do be aware he has a lot of competition out there, some of whom seem refreshingly reputable. read more

Believe the reviews - the service really is that terrible. I have had my compost bucket sitting at the end of the driveway for 4 weeks now without a pickup. Sure I get emails explaining why...they're moving their facility, people called in sick, hiring more people, etc. I signed up reading these reviews thinking "hey, I can handle a couple days lag here and there, the price is really great!" This isn't a couple days. A month later with no pickup and a book of excuses. I've since canceled my service and I'm waiting on them to pickup my bucket. read more

Stay away - charged for several months after canceling and continues to dodge the issue trying to find ways out of refunding for service not received. When we did have service it was not reliable. Blames everyone and never takes responsibility. read more

This organization should not be allowed to operate as a business. Every single complaint that someone else has shared has happened to us. Prior to November, there were interruptions in service including the weird one stating a law enforcement-related disruption, but at the end of November, they just stopped completely. No pick up, no updates. But, they do keep charging. We left that rotting bucket of compost at the end of the driveway for six weeks, while being billed twice during that time. At the beginning of January, we started the process of trying to cancel. At this point, there have been four written communications of our desire to cancel. After the first request to cancel, after almost a full two months of no service with no explanation or meaningful update, we got an email that they were resuming pick up and would be there the next day and then the next day received a notice that we hadn't left any compost out. Um, of course, why would we? First, it had been two months since there had been any service! And second, we had canceled. Since that time, we have stated three more times that we wish to cancel and each time, there is a response from Adam that refuses to accept this request. Won't you give us another chance? The fact that there is no way to cancel and they refuse to accept cancellation requests is unethical. The fact that they bill without providing service is unethical. The way they manage the business is incompetent. If you've read this far, you're probably wondering why so many people have written such long, scathing reviews. It's because even after four emails requesting cancellation, countless emails requesting refund or clarification of service, canceling payments in Paypal-- it's impossible to be sure this company will actually respect the request for cancellation, stop billing and stop contacting you. Do yourself a favor and steer clear in the first place. read more

I have been using this service for over a year and a half and I just could not take it anymore so I had to cancel. I would absolutely give zero stars if I could. I started this service at an apartment building and they missed one or two pick ups. They were alright about fixing the situation but it could sometimes take up to 2 weeks to get things on track. I received several emails that their employees just didn't show up for work that day which is crazy. Their communication has only gotten worse over time even though they made new emails and an online system to send emails through. It seems like a front of a good system. I have tried everything. I email their service email, I sent in requests via their website service page - nothing. They do not answer me unless I go through PayPal and tell PayPal to rescind my payment - Thank God for PayPal. When I moved the issues only got worse. Missed pickups almost every single month, they changed my pick up day without telling me what the new day was, I emailed them several times over the course of two months and heard nothing. I was willing to give them a break with the virus going on but I emailed them over a month ago that I wanted to cancel my service (they do not have a "cancel service" section on their website, shocking) and I haven't heard anything. They did not do my January service and just charged me for February so I stopped my payments through PayPal and told them to give me back my money from February since I cancelled before my January service even happened. Honestly a ridiculous company. read more

I have been using City Compost for the last few years and have had a very positive experience with their service. I chose pickup for twice a month which worked out well for the amount of compostable waste we generated and it was also quite cost effective. Their communication regarding any changes in service or other issues was prompt and timely. I am moving out of state and hope to find a new composting service that will deliver as effectively as City Composting. If you are thinking about starting to compost but don't want the hassle of doing it yourself I highly recommend using their service. read more

This has got to be worst run company I have ever ever ever come across!! They always have issues and right now its been over a moth since my veg scraps have been picked up even though I've received several emails from Adam promising otherwise. I don't understand how it can be so difficult for a company that is supposed to come pick up veg scraps every two weeks can't handle it ever!! How hard can it be?? City Compost is the least expensive but the adage you get what you pay for really is the truth in this situation. I'm switching to another company. The repeated service issues are beyond ridiculous!! read more

I was so hyped to start getting compost - they charge you reliably but never pick up ANYTHING. They owe me so much money at this point. Avoid this service like the plague until they get their lives together. read more

wow. Wish I had read these reviews before signing up. I have had my bucket out since 11/24/2020 (today 12/10/2020) without pickup. I've made multiple requests on their phony "service page" which is just a series of Google Forms that don't send you any confirmation once you've submitted. I have emailed "Adam" multiple times to cancel, but have still been charged on 11/27. Luckily, I am autopaying via Paypal. So, I cancelled that autopay and will hopefully not have to dispute any charges. Just go with Bootstrap, everyone read more

I think my final email to Adam sums up the whole experience pretty well, but I will echo what other reviewers have said: he will not take responsibility for his mis-management of the business, he blames the drivers, the computer interface he uses with drivers, the customers, my building manager. He will not say he is sorry for the shoddy pick-up service, bad customer service, late responses. He will also argue with customers over the phone, which included the childish refrain "That's not my name, That's not my name, That's not my name!" After I accidentally called him Andy. He will continue to charge your credit card after you have cancelled service, and not refund the $$$. He comes across as devoid of emotion, empathy, or any real desire to connect on a human level. Like, maybe don't be the one answering the phone???? There are so many reviews on here saying the same thing and he acknowledges them, but doesn't take responsibility or change???? Email sent to Adam: Adam- Acknowledge the statements sent over a week ago below. Jun 12, 2020, 1:09 PM (8 days ago) "Please know I will return the final bucket compost at Urban Greens next week and ask you to end our service. Please also refund the last two months, including the $6 for the bucket. We have literally had ONE pickup this entire time and can't muster any more energy to manage this situation. Please confirm and thanks very much." Adam we have already emailed you what we want and you ignored it. We are not talking about the address, or signs, or updating notes anymore. It's over. Your business is incapable of doing its duties in a fashion that warrants our money. ***** and I have engaged with you and other employees via numerous emails, texts, and phone calls. We are tired of engaging with you and your business. THIS IS TOO MUCH WORK! We have already said this is too much work and you continue to ask us to engage! STOP! We want nothing to do with your company except an acknowledgement that all of our money that we have given City Compost has been refunded including the $6 we spent to buy the initial bucket. After we quit your services the FIRST time you offered ***** a month of free service (which he refused, because we expect to pay for proper compost service)as a way to offer penance for the bad service we had initially received and show us you had turned your business around. Well the bad service is still happening and the business continues to not function properly. Refund the money. We will return the last bucket to Urban Greens. Tell us you have refunded the money, tell us thanks for doing the leg work to get the final bucket back to you, and then stop contacting us. ****This place is straight up horrible! Don't start service with them, use Boot Strap, we only changed service because Boot Strap could not pick up during the initial COVID lockdown and we saw this company being promoted by Urban Greens.***** read more