Collective Resource
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersEvanston, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Collective Resource does
Collective Resource Compost Cooperative is a Chicago-area composting service founded in 2008, operating as a member-owned cooperative out of Evanston, Illinois. The company runs a container-swap model in which clean buckets are delivered to customer locations and full ones collected on a scheduled basis, with monthly subscription billing and multiple pricing tiers. The service serves two principal customer segments: individual households (the primary segment, including homeowners, condo residents, and apartment dwellers) and a secondary layer of commercial and institutional clients such as catering companies, event organizers, breweries, schools, and universities. Notably, the service accepts a broader range of organic inputs than typical composting services, including dairy, bones, and meat, and offers on-site event waste sorting with deployed staff.
The core product is a curbside, subscription-based composting collection service, supplemented by event waste management (staff on-site to separate compostables, recycling, and trash) for catering businesses and private events such as weddings. The business is route-dense within the Chicago metropolitan area, with distribution handled entirely through direct, door-to-door service rather than third-party channels. Marketing relies on customer testimonials and word-of-mouth referrals rather than paid acquisition, and the company is led by founder and owner Erlene Howard.
Collective Resource has merged with The Urban Canopy, with the website redirecting visitors to theurbancanopy.org. Post-merger, the combined entity continues to offer the container-swap composting service and has added local produce delivery as a complementary offering. The cooperative structure implies member-owned governance rather than traditional venture-backed ownership, and no funding rounds, institutional investors, or revenue disclosures were identified in the source material. Headcount is reported at 11-50 employees, consistent with a small, regionally focused operations business.
Collective Resource firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Collective Resource
- Legal name
- Collective Resource Compost Cooperative
- Website
- https://collectiveresource.us
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Collective Resource industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Composting and Organic Waste Collection Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (56211), Other Waste Collection (562119)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Organics End-Market Services (Land Application, Soil Restoration, Erosion Control) (BPALAEAL), Eco-Friendly Disposal, Recycling & Donation Hauling (HSAIAOAJ)
Keywords
Where Collective Resource is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Evanston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Collective Resource business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Composting Collection Service: Subscription-based container-swap composting service where customers receive regular pickup of food scraps and organic waste. Customers sign up for bins and schedule convenient pickup times, paying recurring fees for the service.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Multiple tier options available |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
Collective Resource product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Collective Resource provides a subscription-based, door-to-door container-swap composting pickup service for households and businesses in the Chicago metropolitan area, delivering clean empty buckets and collecting full ones on a scheduled cadence. The service accepts a broad range of organic materials—vegetable scraps as well as dairy, bones, and meat—and offers flexible scheduling and multiple pricing tiers to fit different customer needs. Add-on event waste sorting with on-site staff and (post-merger) local produce delivery round out the commercial offerings.
Product overview
Collective Resource Compost Cooperative operates as a composting service provider offering a container-swap composting service as its core product. The company has merged with The Urban Canopy and now also provides local produce delivery as an additional offering. Optional event waste management services are available for businesses and private events, including on-site staff for waste sorting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Container-Swap Composting Service Subscription-based, door-to-door curbside composting pickup that delivers a clean empty bucket to the customer's location and collects the full one on a scheduled pickup date. Accepts a broad range of organic materials including dairy, bones, and meat in addition to standard vegetable scraps, with multiple pricing tiers and flexible pickup frequencies. Targeted at urban and suburban households as well as small businesses such as catering companies.
- Event Waste Management and On-Site Sorting On-site waste-sorting service for events and catering operations. Collective Resource provides staff to separate compostables, recycling, and trash at the event site, complementing its core container-swap pickup for commercial clients such as catering companies.
- Local Produce Delivery Fresh local produce delivery offered as an additional service to subscribers following the Collective Resource Compost Cooperative merger with The Urban Canopy.
Quantifiable outcome
- Service reliability and customer satisfaction evidenced by 6+ years of continuous operation and multiple long-term customer relationships
Companies that use Collective Resource
Customer profileNamed customers10 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Collective Resource technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Collective Resource partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves3 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Collective Resource competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Bootstrap Compost: Subscription compost pickup service in the Boston metro area serving households and businesses. Directly comparable operating model — weekly bucket-swap collections, similar tiered pricing, and a similar values-driven customer base.
- Black Earth Compost: Massachusetts-based residential and commercial food scrap collection and composting service. Comparable subscription haul-and-process model and similar customer mix (households, restaurants, institutions).
- Atlas Organics: Organics collection and processing company operating commercial and residential food scrap programs across multiple US regions. Comparable end-to-end collection model and a useful reference for the next stage of scaling.
- Veteran Compost: Maryland-based subscription compost collection service with veteran-employment mission. Operates household pickup routes and commercial accounts on a similar recurring-fee basis.
- Garbage to Garden: Maine-based subscription compost collection service covering households and businesses. Closely matches Collective Resource's recurring pickup model and segment breadth.
- The Urban Canopy: Chicago-based urban agriculture and composting organization that merged with Collective Resource. Operates container-swap composting in the same geography and now bundles produce delivery — the most directly comparable operator given the merger relationship.
- CompostNow: Subscription-based residential and commercial food scrap collection service operating across the Southeast US. Closely comparable business model — recurring bucket-swap pickups with multi-tier pricing — and the type of scaled national player Collective Resource's merger may seek to emulate.
- Curbside Compost: Residential and commercial food scrap pickup service operating in multiple US markets on a subscription basis. Direct competitor archetype with overlapping service design.
Broad incumbents
- Waste Management: Largest US waste hauler with an expanding organics recycling segment serving municipalities and commercial accounts. Represents the scaled incumbent threat to subscription composters and a relevant comparison for operational scale and route economics.
- Republic Services: Major US environmental services company with growing organics and recycling lines for residential and commercial customers. Comparable only as a broad incumbent with overlapping organics capabilities, not as a direct subscription competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Collective Resource social profiles
Digital presenceCollective Resource financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Collective Resource leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Collective Resource funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Collective Resource M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Collective Resource
What does Collective Resource do?
Collective Resource provides a subscription-based, door-to-door container-swap composting pickup service for households and businesses in the Chicago metropolitan area, delivering clean empty buckets and collecting full ones on a scheduled cadence. The service accepts a broad range of organic materials—vegetable scraps as well as dairy, bones, and meat—and offers flexible scheduling and multiple pricing tiers to fit different customer needs. Add-on event waste sorting with on-site staff and (post-merger) local produce delivery round out the commercial offerings.
Is Collective Resource a public or private company?
Collective Resource is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently acquired.
When was Collective Resource founded?
Collective Resource was founded in 2008. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Collective Resource based?
Collective Resource is headquartered in Evanston, United States, in the North America region.
How does Collective Resource make money?
One revenue line is on record: composting Collection Service.
Who are Collective Resource's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Bootstrap Compost, Black Earth Compost, Atlas Organics, Veteran Compost, Garbage to Garden, The Urban Canopy, CompostNow and Curbside Compost. Broad incumbents are Waste Management and Republic Services.
Does Collective Resource have an API?
No public API is recorded for Collective Resource.
What industry is Collective Resource in?
Collective Resource's product category is Composting and Organic Waste Collection Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABALAC, Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste), with a secondary code of BPALAEAL, Organics End-Market Services (Land Application, Soil Restoration, Erosion Control). Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.