Common Ground Compost
Common Ground Compost is a New York City-based zero waste services firm offering waste audits, zero waste program design, TRUE certification advising, event waste management, and electric trike microhauling to offices, small businesses, and event organizers across NYC since 2014.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Common Ground Compost does
Common Ground Compost LLC (CGC) is a New York City-based zero waste services firm operating since 2013 and formally founded in 2014 by Laura Rosenshine. The company delivers four interconnected service lines: Consulting and Waste Audits (waste characterization studies, data reporting, and zero waste program design meeting LEED and TRUE standards), Zero Waste Events (event waste station staffing, procurement advisement, signage, and food donation coordination), Education (Lunch & Learn sessions and custom workshops starting at $800 virtual and $1,200 in-person), and Microhauling via the wholly-owned Reclaimed Organics division, which uses electric trikes to collect organics from small businesses and offices in Manhattan south of 75th Street. A fifth line, TRUE Certification Advising, supports businesses pursuing Total Resource Use and Efficiency certification, with multiple team members holding the TRUE Certified Waste Advisor credential.
CGC employs approximately 11-12 people, including TRUE Certified Waste Advisors, Master Composters, and LEED Green Associates, and serves NYC offices, small businesses, event organizers, and venues. The firm monetizes entirely through professional services revenue: quote-based consulting and audits, per-event fees for event services and microhauling, and per-session fees for education. Distribution is direct and sales-led, driven by website contact forms, dedicated service emails (events@, audits@, hello@), and a complimentary first site visit for consulting clients, supported by an extensive content-marketing blog, Instagram and LinkedIn presence, and earned media in WIRED, Waste360, and other industry outlets. The firm holds a Women-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) certification from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (September 2025) and is associated with a sister software company, WA+TS, co-founded by the CGC founder and former executive director, that offers waste tracking and carbon footprint quantification. No external institutional funding is disclosed, and all operations are concentrated in the New York City market.
Common Ground Compost firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Common Ground Compost
- Legal name
- Common Ground Compost LLC
- Website
- https://commongroundcompost.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Common Ground Compost is a New York City-based zero waste services firm offering waste audits, zero waste program design, TRUE certification advising, event waste management, and electric trike microhauling to offices, small businesses, and event organizers across NYC since 2014.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Common Ground Compost industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Environmental and Sustainability Consulting
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Landfill (562212)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Organics Collection & Processing (Composting/Anaerobic Digestion) (IMAIAFAF)
Keywords
Where Common Ground Compost is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Common Ground Compost business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Zero Waste Consulting & Waste Audits: Professional consulting services including waste audits (simple weight surveys to full characterization studies meeting LEED, TRUE, and other certification standards), waste data reporting, and zero waste program design for businesses and organizations in NYC.
- Zero Waste Events Services: Event waste management services including coordinating waste removal with commercial haulers, procurement advisement for serviceware, custom signage, microhauling organics (e-assist trike), zero waste staffing, and donation recommendations for events.
- Education & Training Programs: Zero waste education services including Lunch & Learn presentations and custom workshops for offices, events, and small businesses. Offerings cover Waste/Recycling/Composting 101, Environmental Impact, and Zero Waste topics.
- TRUE Certification Advising: Advisory services guiding businesses through TRUE certification pre-certification, full certification, and re-certification processes, including project management, documentation, and review submission.
- Microhauling (Reclaimed Organics): Organics collection service using e-assist trikes for small businesses and offices in Manhattan (south of 75th Street), as well as small event organics hauling depending on timing and location.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Virtual Lunch & Learn sessions - flat fee starting at $800 per session |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | In-person education events starting at $1,200 per event |
| Other | Multi-year contract | Consulting services - quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Common Ground Compost product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Common Ground Compost (CGC) is a NYC-based zero waste services firm delivering zero waste consulting and waste audits, TRUE certification advising, zero waste event management, sustainability education and workshops, and electric trike-based organics microhauling (Reclaimed Organics) for small businesses, offices, and event organizers in Manhattan and the NYC metro area.
Product overview
Common Ground Compost is a zero waste services company offering a portfolio of interconnected service divisions rather than a single unified product. The core offerings include: Consulting & Waste Audits for waste characterization and zero waste program design; Zero Waste Events for event composting and waste management; Education & Workshops covering zero waste education; Microhauling (via Reclaimed Organics) for local organics collection; and TRUE Certification Advising for businesses seeking certification. The company also provides Signage Design & Guidance as an add-on service and NYC Commercial Waste Zones Advisory. A sister company, WA+TS (Waste Administration + Tracking Software), offers a software platform for waste tracking and carbon footprint quantification.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Reclaimed Organics: Microhauling division providing local organics diversion options for small businesses and offices in Manhattan south of 75th Street, including small event organics hauling.
Products and services
- Consulting & Waste Audits Zero waste consulting services for NYC businesses and organizations, including waste audits (weight surveys through full LEED/TRUE-standard characterization studies), waste data reporting, waste flow mapping, compliance assessments, and infrastructure recommendations to reduce waste and meet sustainability goals.
- Zero Waste Events Comprehensive event waste management for event organizers, venues, weddings, corporate events, and public events in NYC, including waste station setup, composting coordination, procurement advisement for serviceware, custom signage, organics microhauling, zero waste staffing, and food donation recommendations.
- Education & Workshops Zero waste educational programming for offices, small businesses, schools, and event audiences, including Lunch & Learn sessions covering Waste/Recycling/Composting, Zero Waste 101, and Environmental Impact, as well as custom workshops on upcycling, composting, and natural dyes. Virtual and in-person formats available.
- Microhauling (Reclaimed Organics) Local organics collection and diversion service using e-assist electric trikes for small businesses and offices in Manhattan, south of 75th Street, and for small event organics hauling depending on timing and location.
- TRUE Certification Advising Advisory services guiding businesses through TRUE (Total Resource Use and Efficiency) certification, including pre-certification scoping, full certification program management, documentation, and re-certification submission support, delivered by a team of TRUE Certified Waste Advisors.
Quantifiable outcome
- 100% of food scraps diverted from NYC landfills would reduce harmful emissions by more than 120,000 metric tons (per NYS DEC cited by CGC)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Common Ground Compost
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Common Ground Compost technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Common Ground Compost partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Reclaimed OrganicscoreReclaimed Organics is CGC's microhauling division, providing electric trike-based organics collection for small businesses and offices in Manhattan south of 75th Street. It was the original service that sparked the founding of CGC and remains a core operational component of the company's service offerings.
- WA+TS (Waste Administration + Tracking Software)minorFounded by Laura Rosenshine (CGC Founder) and Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli (CGC Fmr. Executive Director). WA+TS provides waste administration and tracking software that quantifies the carbon footprint of waste and delivers action-oriented steps to reduce impact. CGC references WA+TS as a sister company on their website.
- NYC Community Compost Network MembersminorCGC's resources page lists NYC Community Compost Network partner organizations: Earth Matter, BigReuse, LES Ecology Center, Brooklyn Botanic Garden, GreenFeen Organix, BK Rot, The Brotherhood Sister Sol, Cafeteria Culture, Compost Power, Astoria Pug, East New York Farms, Queens Botanical Garden, Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden, Red Hook Farms, NYBG Bronx Green-Up, Center for Zero Waste Design.
- VokashiminorNYC-based composting partner operating in Brooklyn and Manhattan, listed on CGC's resources page as a local solution for residential and small business organic waste diversion.
- BK RotminorNYC-based micro-composting organization serving Bushwick, listed on CGC's resources page as a local solution for organic waste diversion.
- GreenFeen OrganixminorNYC-based organics diversion service listed on CGC's resources page as a local composting partner.
- GroundcycleminorNYC-based organics/composting solution listed on CGC's resources page as a local composting partner.
- EarthKindminorNYC-based composting/organics service listed on CGC's resources page as a local composting partner.
- Downtown AllianceminorCGC has worked with Downtown Alliance on zero waste events, including Dine Around Downtown 2022, providing waste station staffing, education, and coordination services.
- Eastside Outside Community GardenminorCGC hosts custom workshops and educational programs at the Eastside Outside Community Garden space in NYC, partnering with the garden for outdoor programming.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Common Ground Compost competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Green Restaurant Association: Nonprofit certification body for restaurants on sustainability, partially overlapping CGC's food-service audit and zero waste event clients in NYC's restaurant-dense market.
Broad incumbents
- Rubicon Technologies: Tech-enabled waste and recycling hauler providing routing and sustainability software to large haulers and municipalities, broader in scale and tech-depth than CGC's consulting-led model.
- Closed Loop Partners: Investment and consulting firm advancing the circular economy with broad waste/recycling initiatives, well beyond CGC's local consulting scale but operating in adjacent sustainability advisory territory.
- WasteZero: Waste reduction programs and consulting for municipalities and businesses operating nationally, comparable in consulting scope but with much larger program footprint than CGC's NYC base.
Direct peers
- EcoSafe Zero Waste: Sustainability and zero waste consulting firm offering waste audits, TRUE certification advising, and program design for businesses - directly mirrors CGC's core consulting and certification stack.
- CleanRiver Recycling Solutions: Provider of recycling and waste management solutions including signage, bins, and consulting - overlaps with CGC's zero waste signage design and program implementation services.
- Cascadia Consulting Group: Environmental and solid waste management consultancy providing waste characterization studies and program design, directly comparable to CGC's waste audit and program design practice.
- Foodprint Group: Chain-business waste management standardization consultancy co-founded by CGC's founder Laura Rosenshine; addresses overlapping customer problems (multi-site waste programs) with a multi-location focus.
- Brightworks Sustainability: Multi-disciplinary sustainability consultancy offering waste and materials management strategy, comparable to CGC's TRUE advisory and broader sustainability consulting services.
- Save That Stuff: Boston-based zero waste services firm combining collection, hauling, and consulting, comparable to CGC's hybrid of Reclaimed Organics collection plus zero waste program work.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Common Ground Compost social profiles
Digital presenceCommon Ground Compost compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Common Ground Compost financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Common Ground Compost leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Common Ground Compost subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Common Ground Compost funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Common Ground Compost 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 Common Ground Compost
What does Common Ground Compost do?
Common Ground Compost (CGC) is a NYC-based zero waste services firm delivering zero waste consulting and waste audits, TRUE certification advising, zero waste event management, sustainability education and workshops, and electric trike-based organics microhauling (Reclaimed Organics) for small businesses, offices, and event organizers in Manhattan and the NYC metro area.
Is Common Ground Compost a public or private company?
Common Ground Compost is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Common Ground Compost founded?
Common Ground Compost was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Common Ground Compost based?
Common Ground Compost is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does Common Ground Compost make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Zero Waste Consulting & Waste Audits are the primary driver. The others are zero Waste Events Services, education & Training Programs, TRUE Certification Advising and microhauling (Reclaimed Organics).
Who are Common Ground Compost's main competitors?
Green Restaurant Association is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Rubicon Technologies, Closed Loop Partners and WasteZero. Direct peers are EcoSafe Zero Waste, CleanRiver Recycling Solutions, Cascadia Consulting Group, Foodprint Group, Brightworks Sustainability and Save That Stuff.
Does Common Ground Compost have an API?
No public API is recorded for Common Ground Compost.
What industry is Common Ground Compost in?
Common Ground Compost's product category is Environmental and Sustainability Consulting. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPABALAC, Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste), with a secondary code of IMAIAFAF, Organics Collection & Processing (Composting/Anaerobic Digestion). Its NAICS code is 562212 and its SIC code is 4953.