A stronger public foundation for composting in Shaker Heights OH

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Client:

City of Shaker Heights

Application:

Public and school-based food waste drop-off infrastructure

Building on early demand for public composting

The City of Shaker Heights worked with Rust Belt Riders and metroSTOR to launch a more visible, better-managed composting program built around secure food waste drop-off infrastructure.

The program moved from an earlier pilot into a broader public rollout timed for Earth Day, creating a system designed to support participation, cleanliness, and future expansion. The aim was not just to add more collection points, but to establish composting as a practical and visible part of everyday life in the city.

Why the original pilot pointed to the need for a stronger system

Shaker Heights had already built a strong foundation for food waste diversion through school cafeteria programs and targeted pilots, with more than 600,000 pounds of food scraps being diverted annually before the wider rollout.

An earlier pilot at an elementary school had shown that residents were willing to participate, but it also exposed the limits of the original setup. Locked corrals and carts helped prove demand, yet they were not the right long-term answer for a higher-visibility public program expected to grow across multiple sites.

As the city moved toward a broader model, it needed infrastructure that could perform in visible public settings, remain clean and manageable under daily use, and provide a stronger standard as participation increased.

A more visible and better-managed public collection model

To support that next phase, Shaker Heights selected metroSTOR access-controlled organics enclosures configured to house multiple 65-gallon food waste carts within a compact steel structure.

The enclosures combined keypad and mobile app entry with hands-free foot-pedal loading, helping make the sites cleaner and easier for residents to use. Smart fill-level sensors were also included so the city and Rust Belt Riders could better understand demand, monitor capacity, and plan servicing as the program developed.

Graphics designed by Rust Belt Riders reinforced the city’s education and outreach strategy, helping create a clearer and more consistent user experience at the point of deposit.

The overall result was a stronger infrastructure standard: more secure, easier to manage, and better suited to year-round outdoor use.

“The design has made composting accessible, clean, and visible for residents.”

Strong early uptake and a cleaner public-facing program

The initial rollout included three units at Shaker Heights Public Library, creating a highly visible public location for the city’s composting launch.

The program opened with strong early engagement, with more than 700 households signed up before the official rollout. The launch event itself, where Mayor David Weiss deposited the first food scraps into the bins, helped reinforce the program’s visibility and public legitimacy.

That early visibility mattered. It gave residents a clear signal that composting was becoming a normal part of civic life, while also helping the city build confidence around participation and site performance from the outset.

A scalable platform for wider rollout

Early feedback from Rust Belt Riders and city staff highlighted strong adoption, clean sites, and positive user response across the first library and school locations.

Using access-controlled enclosures rather than open carts reduced the risk of contamination, misuse, and overflow at launch. Sensor data and access controls also gave the program an early operational safety net, making it easier to respond if demand increased more quickly than expected.

That combination of visibility, control, and flexibility helped position the infrastructure as more than a one-off installation. It created a stronger base for future growth.

“We have been loving the metroSTOR bins at the Shaker Heights pilot site. They have been a very popular part of the program.”

Natalie Senturk
Rust Belt Riders

With the first phase in place, Shaker Heights has positioned the infrastructure as a scalable platform rather than a standalone pilot.

Future budget discussions are expected to assess expansion to additional sites based on participation data, servicing needs, and community response. Because the infrastructure includes sensors and flexible deployment options, the city can adapt as demand shifts, whether that means relocating units, adding capacity, or extending the network over time.

That matters because long-term composting participation depends not only on public interest, but on infrastructure that can grow with the program.

What this shows for municipal composting programs

The Shaker Heights project shows how cities can move from a successful composting pilot to a more visible and scalable public program without losing control over day-to-day operation.

Early demand may prove there is public appetite, but long-term success depends on infrastructure that supports cleanliness, usability, and operational confidence as participation grows. In Shaker Heights, secure access, sensor visibility, and durable enclosure design helped create a stronger public-facing composting model from the start.

For municipalities looking to expand food waste diversion, that kind of infrastructure can provide a much better foundation for long-term growth.

Looking at public composting infrastructure in your own city?

We work with municipalities and program partners to design organics infrastructure that supports participation, maintains cleaner sites, and gives composting programs a stronger base for long-term expansion.

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