What Bk Rot does

BK ROT is a Brooklyn, New York-based non-profit that operates a bike-powered food waste hauling and composting service, originally conceived by Sandy Nurse in 2011 and incorporated in 2015. The organization collects organic waste from residential and small commercial customers by cargo bicycle and processes it by hand at five publicly accessible community garden sites in Bushwick, Crown Heights, and Bed-Stuy, returning finished 'Black Gold' compost to the community. Core products include a residential subscription pickup service (weekly or biweekly, with sliding-scale pricing from $10 to $45 every four weeks), commercial hauling for offices, cafes, groceries, plant shops, and roasters, three-tier event composting services ($50–$220), community drop-off locations, and compost sales ranging from $6 retail bags to $400 per cubic yard.

The underlying 'technology' is a bike-based microhauling fleet coupled with hand-processing at neighborhood garden sites, supplemented by a consumer-facing app (app.bkrot.org), an Airtable-based compost ordering system, and a Wix-hosted website. BK ROT's go-to-market blends direct-to-consumer residential subscriptions, sales-led outreach to small businesses, event-driven services, and retail compost distribution through partners such as Park Slope Food Coop, Crest Hardware, and Stems Brooklyn. The organization also runs a Summer Youth Leaders Program (YLP) that pays NYC high school students $17/hour, generating $210,000 in annual youth income and serving as both a workforce pipeline and a community-engagement channel.

BK ROT operates as a non-profit, funded primarily through service fees, grants, and donations rather than venture capital. It is governed by a Board of Directors (chaired by Yasmine, with Treasurer Leala) and led by co-directors Nora Tjossem (Executive Director) and Dior St. Hillaire (Director of Strategic Partnerships). The organization diverts approximately 253,000 lbs of organic waste from landfills annually, produces 100,000 lbs of compost, and logs 4,500 emissions-free bike hauling miles per year, anchoring a service model that pairs environmental outcomes with youth employment in communities of color.

Name

Bk Rot

Legal name

BK ROT

Website

https://www.bkrot.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

BK ROT is a Brooklyn non-profit operating NYC's first bike-powered food waste hauling and composting service for residential and small commercial customers. Operations span five community garden sites and include a youth leadership program, event composting, and retail compost sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (56211), Compost Manufacturing (325315)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Organics (Food/Yard) Collection (Residential & Commercial) (EUAIAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)

Keywords

• Food waste hauling
• Community composting
• Bicycle microhauling
• Organic waste collection
• Urban composting services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brooklyn Park

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Residential Food Waste Pickup Subscription: Weekly or biweekly residential food waste collection service with sliding scale pricing (Subsidized, Standard, Sustainer tiers). Customers receive curb-side pickup by bike microhaulers.
2. Commercial Organic Waste Collection: Business composting subscription service for small businesses. Includes pickup service and wholesale compost resale option with free delivery for subscribers.
3. Event Composting Services: One-time and multi-day event organic waste management. Three tiers: basic drop-off composting, microhauling pickup, and full staffed sorting services.
4. Compost Sales: Finished 'Black Gold' compost sold in various quantities from retail bags to cubic yards. Available for purchase via Airtable ordering system and at retail partner locations.
5. Consulting Services: Compiling system consultations and educational visits/workshops for individuals or organizations interested in learning about or implementing composting systems.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BK ROT provides bike-powered food waste hauling and composting services in Brooklyn, NY. It collects organic waste from residential subscribers, commercial businesses, and events using a zero-emission bicycle microhauling fleet, then processes the material into finished compost sold under the Black Gold label. The organization also runs educational programming and a youth leadership program tied to its hauling and composting operations.

Product overview

BK ROT is NYC's first bike-powered, fossil fuel-free food waste hauling and composting service operating in Brooklyn. The company offers a portfolio of interconnected services centered on collecting and processing organic waste: Residential Pick-up Service collects food scraps from homes via bicycle; Commercial Hauling serves small businesses with organic waste collection; Event Composting provides tiered event-based composting solutions; and Food Scraps Drop-off offers community collection points. The finished product, sold as "Black Gold Compost," is distributed to the community through direct sales and retail partners. Supporting offerings include Consultation Services for composting system implementation, Educational Visits, the Youth Leaders Program (summer employment for NYC high school students), and Scrapyard Workshops—zero-waste educational sessions. All operations are staffed by young people of color who haul waste by bicycle and process it by hand at local Brooklyn composting sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Pick-up Service Recurring bicycle-based food scraps collection from Brooklyn households, delivered to community composting sites. Targeted at residents seeking convenient curbside-style organics service.
• Commercial Hauling Scheduled bike-powered food waste collection for small and mid-sized Brooklyn businesses such as restaurants and cafes. Volumes and pick-up frequency are arranged per contract.
• Event Composting On-site and post-event food scrap collection and composting service for festivals, markets, conferences, and other events seeking zero-waste outcomes.
• Food Scraps Drop-off Drop-off sites where community members can bring food scraps for inclusion in BK ROT's composting stream, for those not subscribing to pick-up.
• Black Gold Compost Finished compost product produced from collected food scraps and sold to gardeners and community members under the Black Gold label.
• Consultation and Educational Visits Consulting and educational programming on composting, waste reduction, and sustainability for schools, community groups, and partner organizations.
• Youth Leaders Program Paid youth leadership and workforce development program where young people operate hauling routes, learn composting, and lead community outreach as part of BK ROT's operations.
• Scrapyard Workshops Hands-on workshops teaching community members how to compost, reduce waste, and reuse materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 253,000 lbs of organic waste diverted from landfills annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Imani GardencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 20245th composting site added in 2024 to meet needs of more community members in Brooklyn. 2024 youth leader cohort shaped BK ROT's presence in this community.
• Green Acres GardencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner garden site where BK ROT expanded processing capacity in 2020 during pandemic demand surge. Remains part of BK ROT family of composting locations.
• Good Life GardencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Partner garden location for food scrap drop-off (Saturdays 11-2PM) and composting operations. Expanded in 2020 to meet growing demand.
• Aberdeen GardencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Community garden partner hosting BK ROT drop-off location (Sundays 1-4PM). Part of 2020 expansion to 3 new partner gardens.
• Compost PowerminorOthersAlternative local community composter partnership for events where meat and dairy cannot be separated from organics. Referrals offered when BK ROT cannot accept certain materials.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lower East Side Ecology Center: Long-standing NYC non-profit offering community compost drop-offs, education, and master composter programs; directly comparable in mission and service mix.
• Compost Power: Brooklyn-based community composter; explicitly referenced as a peer referral partner for events where BK ROT cannot accept certain waste streams.
• Big Reuse: Brooklyn non-profit running city-supported food-scrap drop-off and composting programs with NYC Compost Project; overlaps directly on residential food waste collection and compost distribution in BK ROT's service area.
• GreenFeen OrganiX: Worker-owned NYC compost hauling cooperative; co-director Dior St. Hillaire is also a worker-owner, and the organization overlaps in offering community-focused organic waste services.

Broad incumbents

• NYC Department of Sanitation (DSNY) Organics Program: Municipal operator of NYC's curbside organics collection rollout; the largest competing collector/composting program and a potential partner/referral source for BK ROT's event work.
• NYC Compost Project (DSNY-hosted sites): City-run composting infrastructure (drop-offs, master composter training, curbside rollout) that competes with and complements BK ROT's residential and commercial service.
• GrowNYC: NYC's largest environmental non-profit running farmers markets, food scrap drop-offs, and compost operations; the dominant incumbent in NYC's community composting space.

Regional players

• Queens Composting Co-op (Astoria Compost): NYC-based (Queens) volunteer-run bike-powered food scrap collection and composting service using a near-identical microhauling model in an adjacent borough.

Emerging players

• Sustainable South Bronx: Bronx-based environmental-justice non-profit focused on urban greening, youth workforce development, and community composting — analogous model and target population.
• VINES Urban Farm: Community-based urban farming and composting non-profit; connected via BK ROT board member Jibreel and overlapping on composting education and operations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/bk_rot
• Facebookfacebook.com/BKROTCompost
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bk-rot-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Bk Rot