Key City Compost
Key City Compost provides residential curbside food-waste collection and commercial food-waste recycling services across the DMV region, including the City of Frederick's municipal-sponsored program. Acquired by Compost Crew in 2024, it also sells compostable goods and soil blends.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersJefferson, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Key City Compost does
Key City Compost is a food-waste collection and composting service provider operating in the DMV region (Washington D.C., Maryland, Virginia), founded in 2017 and headquartered in Frederick, Maryland. The company serves two primary customer segments — residential households and commercial organizations — through recurring curbside collection of separated food waste. A core customer-acquisition channel is the City of Frederick's municipal-sponsored compost program, which provides city-backed access to residential subscribers. Following its 2024 acquisition by Compost Crew, Key City Compost continues to serve customers through the parent's operational platform, with its digital presence (keycompost.com) functioning primarily as a brand and referral gateway to Compost Crew sign-up flows.
The company's revenue base is built on four streams: (1) recurring residential curbside collection subscriptions, (2) quote-based commercial food-waste recycling contracts across the DMV, (3) e-commerce sales of compostable products (plates, cups, cutlery) through keycompostables.com at a 20% discount to existing customers, and (4) direct sales of premium compost and soil blends for lawn, garden, and potted-plant use. Residential onboarding is self-serve via web sign-up; commercial sales follow an inside-sales/quote-request motion. No proprietary technology, AI capabilities, patents, or third-party integrations were disclosed.
The business is small-scale (1-10 employees pre-acquisition) with no public revenue, funding history, or named enterprise customers. Distribution is concentrated in the DMV region, and the company's growth and brand identity are now materially tied to Compost Crew's parent platform, e-commerce infrastructure, and cross-referral network. Headcount of 1-10 indicates a local operator rather than a scaled platform, and the customer base appears fragmented across residential subscribers and a smaller pool of commercial accounts rather than concentrated around a few enterprise logos.
Key City Compost firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Key City Compost
- Legal name
- Key City Compost
- Website
- https://keycompost.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Key City Compost provides residential curbside food-waste collection and commercial food-waste recycling services across the DMV region, including the City of Frederick's municipal-sponsored program. Acquired by Compost Crew in 2024, it also sells compostable goods and soil blends.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Key City Compost industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Composting and Organics Recycling Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (5621)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Residential Curbside Organics Programs (Municipal/Franchise) (BPALAEAF)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Organics (Food/Yard) Collection (Residential & Commercial) (EUAIAAAO), Compost Product Distribution, Retail & Landscape Supply (Bulk/Bagged) (BPALAEAI), Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)
Keywords
Where Key City Compost is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jefferson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Key City Compost business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Residential Curbside Collection Services: Recurring subscription-based curbside food waste collection service for residential customers, including participation in the City of Frederick's sponsored program.
- Commercial Food Waste Recycling Services: Recurring service for commercial organizations to meet sustainability goals, with tailored solutions and quote-based pricing for the DMV market.
- Compostable Products Sales: E-commerce sales of compostable products including plates, cups, cutlery with 20% discount offered to existing customers.
- Premium Compost and Soil Blends: Direct sales of nutrient-rich compost and soil amendments for lawn, garden, and potted plants.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Key City Compost product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Key City Compost provides curbside food waste collection services for residential subscribers in the DMV region, including participation in the City of Frederick's sponsored residential composting program. For commercial organizations, it delivers tailored food waste recycling and organics collection services on a contract basis. Complementing these collection services, the company sells compostable products and its own premium compost and soil blends through an online storefront.
Product overview
Key City Compost, now part of the Compost Crew family since 2024, operates as a platform offering residential and commercial food waste collection services. The core service portfolio consists of two main service lines: Residential Services (curbside collection including the City of Frederick's sponsored program) and Commercial Services (tailored food waste recycling for organizations throughout the DMV area). These are complemented by two product offerings: Compostable Products (planet-friendly plates, cups, cutlery available at 20% discount) and Premium Compost and Soil Blends (nutrient-rich soil amendments for lawn, garden, and potted plants). All services continue under the Compost Crew brand following the 2024 acquisition.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Residential Curbside Composting Subscription curbside collection of household food scraps and organic waste for residential customers in the DMV region, including participants in the City of Frederick's sponsored residential composting program.
- Commercial Food Waste Recycling Tailored food waste and organics collection and recycling services delivered on a contract basis to commercial organizations that generate significant volumes of food waste.
- Compostable Products Retail e-commerce offering of compostable consumer products sold directly through the company's online storefront.
- Premium Compost and Soil Blends Key City Compost-branded premium compost and soil blends produced from collected organics and sold through the company's online storefront.
Companies that use Key City Compost
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Key City Compost technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Key City Compost partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- City of FrederickcoreKey City Compost participates in the City of Frederick's municipal-sponsored curbside collection program. This partnership provides access to city-backed customer acquisition and credibility through the municipal relationship. The program enables residents to easily sign up for food waste collection services.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Key City Compost competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Waste Management: Largest North American waste services company with growing organics recycling offerings for residential and commercial customers; a broad incumbent competitor for collection contracts.
- Recology: Major West Coast integrated waste hauler with organics collection and composting programs; comparable service breadth but operates in a different geography as a broader sustainability player.
- Republic Services: Large national waste hauler expanding into residential and commercial organics recycling; a broad incumbent that competes for municipal contracts and commercial organics RFPs across the U.S.
Direct peers
- Veteran Compost: Mid-Atlantic residential and commercial food scrap collection service with a subscription-based model; comparable regional geography (Maryland/Virginia/Delaware) and customer segments.
- Purple Cow Organics: Mid-Atlantic organics recycler producing compost products from food waste streams; comparable end-market for finished compost and soil blends sold alongside collection services.
- CompostNow: Residential and commercial curbside food waste collection service operating in the Southeast U.S., using a subscription model nearly identical to Key City Compost's core offering.
- Compost Crew: Parent company of Key City Compost since 2024; offers residential curbside food waste collection and commercial organics recycling across multiple East Coast states with the same operating model and brand infrastructure.
- Bootstrap Compost: Residential and commercial curbside compost pickup service in the Philadelphia region; directly comparable subscription-based collection model targeting households and businesses.
Others
- Imperfect Foods: Mission-aligned subscription food delivery service focused on reducing food waste; thematically related and audience-overlapping, but not a direct collection competitor.
Emerging players
- Food Loop: Residential and small business food waste collection in the Mid-Atlantic, providing comparable curbside organics pickup on a subscription basis in markets adjacent to Key City Compost's footprint.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
Key City Compost social profiles
Digital presenceKey City Compost financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Key City Compost leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Key City Compost funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Key City 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 Key City Compost
What does Key City Compost do?
Key City Compost provides curbside food waste collection services for residential subscribers in the DMV region, including participation in the City of Frederick's sponsored residential composting program. For commercial organizations, it delivers tailored food waste recycling and organics collection services on a contract basis. Complementing these collection services, the company sells compostable products and its own premium compost and soil blends through an online storefront.
Is Key City Compost a public or private company?
Key City Compost is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently acquired.
When was Key City Compost founded?
Key City Compost was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Key City Compost based?
Key City Compost is headquartered in Jefferson, United States, in the North America region.
How does Key City Compost make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Residential Curbside Collection Services are the primary driver. The others are commercial Food Waste Recycling Services, compostable Products Sales and premium Compost and Soil Blends.
Who are Key City Compost's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Waste Management, Recology and Republic Services. Direct peers are Veteran Compost, Purple Cow Organics, CompostNow, Compost Crew and Bootstrap Compost. Imperfect Foods is listed as an others. Food Loop is listed as an emerging player.
Does Key City Compost have an API?
No public API is recorded for Key City Compost.
What industry is Key City Compost in?
Key City Compost's product category is Composting and Organics Recycling Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPALAEAF, Residential Curbside Organics Programs (Municipal/Franchise), with a secondary code of EUAIAAAO, Organics (Food/Yard) Collection (Residential & Commercial). Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.