What we accept depends on whether you are a resident or business. We generally accept what can be composted in a backyard bin, as well as a few additional items. Check out our compost guide for more details.

Each bin is secured with a coded lock. After signing up for a Queen City Commons drop-off location through the MakeSoil platform, you’ll find the access code for your selected bin and location details on that bin’s MakeSoil page.

After logging in to your Queen City Commons account on MakeSoil:

• Navigate to the “My Soil Sites” tab (On desktop, this is located on the left side of the screen. On mobile, this is located by clicking on the 3 horizontal lines on the top left corner of the screen).
• Click the green “Enter Site” button for the drop-off location you want to access.
• Once in the site, scroll down until you reach the “Access Information” section, identified with a green key icon. You’ll find the “Bin lock” code listed there.

If you have logged in to MakeSoil and do not see any sites listed under the “My Soil Sites” tab, then it is likely:

• You created a MakeSoil account but did not yet subscribe to a specific drop-off site.
• You canceled your subscription to a site and your access period has ended.
• Your subscription to a site has been automatically canceled because of repeated failed payment attempts. You can resubscribe to a site to regain access.

This is completely up to you! Many people use a small kitchen pail that fits on their countertop, one of our 4-gallon collection buckets, or any old 5-gallon bucket. You can also store your food scraps in tupperware and keep them in the freezer.

If your drop-off is located within the City of Cincinnati, you can pick up a free 4-gallon collection to use to collect your food scraps. Pick up location and instructions for pick up are listed on the drop-off page after you sign up.

Moisture accelerates the decomposition process, creating a happy environment for mold and flies. Less moisture = cleaner bucket.

Use one or more of the following tips to reduce or avoid moisture:

• Freeze your food scraps
• Layer food scraps with dry items (like paper towels, paper napkins, paper bags, and cardboard)
• Keep the lid off your bucket (which allows moisture to evaporate. Replace the lid with a towel if you still want a cover).

You can also use a liner to create a barrier. Paper bags are preferred (they compost the best) but we also accept Biobag-brand liners.

Clean your bucket after drop-off. Wipe the inside down with a paper towel or dried leaves from your yard. If no cleaning supplies are used, toss that paper towel in the bucket to compost! Or, designate a compost bucket sponge and clean out your bucket in the sink with soap and water.

We offer sliding-scale payment options, between $5 and $20 per month, that allow households to pay what they can while participating in Cincinnati’s household composting efforts.

We want you to compost! Here’s how the contribution level you select helps:

• $5 gets you composting, and we love it,
• $10 keeps our sliding scale robust so more neighbors can access composting,
• $15 helps us build more sustainable wages and benefits for our team,
• $20 helps us expand the program across Cincinnati.

Whichever level you choose, thank you for being a part of this community effort!

MakeSoil is the online platform we use to manage residential accounts, and where households sign up to compost at one of our Queen City Commons drop-off locations.

To manage your Queen City Commons account, log in to https://www.makesoil.org/login

Via MakeSoil, you can:

• Manage your Queen City Commons payment and account details at any time.
• Log any drop-off data and track your impact.
• Ask us questions.
• Connect with other composters at your drop-off location and around Cincinnati.

One of the many things we love about MakeSoil is how easy their platform is to use – you can access all of your account features through the desktop and mobile browser, and through the MakeSoil app.

We use the MakeSoil platform to facilitate our residential drop-off accounts. Follow these steps to access your Queen City Commons account details, where you can change your payment method and manage your subscription:

1. Sign in to your Queen City Commons account on MakeSoil.
2. Click on your account photo or initials in the top right corner.
3. Go to “Account Settings.”
4. Click on “Subscriptions” to manage your account details.