Top: Camerion Kania of Tidewater Compost (center) is surrounded by (clockwise) Tidewater’s collection van, kitchen countertop unit, drop-off site, and event collection toters. Photos courtesy of Tidewater Compost
When Cameron Kania launched Tidewater Compost, a household food scraps collection service in June 2022 in Hampton Roads, Virginia, he was met with the question, “why would I sign up to do that?” The company was the first of its kind in the area, and fortunately, enough people liked the idea to make the business viable. “Between when we launched and where Tidewater Compost is now, we are far ahead of my projections,” notes Kania, who continues to work as a financial analyst during this start-up phase. The company services about 400 households with doorstep collection and 11 drop-off locations. It also collects food scraps and certified compostable packaging in 48- and 64-gallon roll carts from venues, zero waste events, breweries and restaurants. In 2024, 140,000 lbs of material were diverted.
Collected food scraps are composted at McGill Environmental Systems in Waverly (VA), about an hour away from Hampton Roads. Kania partners with N.O.P.E. — a commercial food waste hauler in the region — to transport the food scraps to the McGill facility, which only allows for larger vehicles with dumping mechanisms to tip. A per cart fee is paid to N.O.P.E. for the service. Kania uses a Promaster van and an F-250 Ford pickup truck with a lift gate for collection, but hopes to expand his fleet and vehicle capacities in the coming year. Households using doorstep service receive a 5-gallon bin, a 2-gallon countertop container, a supply of compostable liner bags, and a Tidewater Compost compostables list fridge magnet, which is popular with its customers. The fee is $38/month for weekly collection. Drop-off customers pay $15/month to use a designated kiosk, and are given the lock combination to access the site. All customers receive 5 gallons of finished compost twice a year as part of the service. The compost for distribution is purchased from McGill.
Tidewater Compost also donates compost to all the community gardens that serve as Drop-off Kiosk hosts. “Each kiosk host receives a variety of composting partnership perks, including discounted or free composting services, one cubic yard of compost each spring and fall planting season, a partnership listing on our website and social media highlights, and access to our referral incentive program,” explains Kania. “If a host refers a new customer to us, we make a donation to their organization — either in the form of additional compost, or provide funds for a community focused project. Some of the gardens we currently work closely with include Nimmo Community Garden, Downtown Norfolk Community Garden, Berkley Prosperous Garden, and the Hermitage Museum and Gardens. Our goal is to enrich these spaces with nutrient-rich compost while making composting more accessible to the local community.”
The fee is $15/month to utilize a Tidewater Compost drop-off kiosk, many of which are located at community gardens.
Among the venues Tidewater Compost works with is the 20,000-seat outdoor Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, leased by Live Nation. “The goal is for the venue to be Zero Waste by 2030,” says Kania. “In 2024, we collected food scraps and compostable packaging from 27 concerts, diverting over 23,000 lbs of material. Depending on the concert schedule, our crew typically arrives at 3:00 am in the morning after the concert to collect all the back-of-house food scraps. Live Nation is in the process of opening a year-round venue in the area — The Dome at the Virginia Beach Oceanfront — that would hold 130 events a year. We hope to help them with their composting efforts as well.”
Kania, working with Coker Composting & Consulting, is in the process of permitting a Category III food waste composting facility on a farm in Chesapeake, VA that has been in his family for generations. Allowed Category III feedstocks include source separated preconsumer and postconsumer food waste. The aerated static pile operation would be located inside an existing equipment building at the site and accommodate about 2,000 tons/year of organics on about 1.5 acres of the 162-acre farm. The site design is for six concrete block wall bays inside the enclosure for feedstock mixing, active composting, product screening and product storage. “In addition, we are excited to incorporate Dungster In-Vessel composting systems into our design plan to be used for our secondary active composting phase,” explains Kania. “These Dungster units are a proprietary forced-aeration system contained in a roll-off dumpster and also will give us an additional avenue for curing space should we need it. A skid steer loader will be used to move material from the bays to the nearby vessels.”
The aerated static pile operation would be located inside an existing equipment building at the site.
Tidewater Compost will have to go through a public meeting process prior to getting local government approval for the composting site in the form of a Conditional Use Permit from the City of Chesapeake. “There is a housing development behind the property about a quarter-mile away,” he adds, “We expect to have opposition, but are being proactive in educating neighbors about composting and how in our case, it is an extension of farming and something that can be an asset to the surrounding community. Our goal is to be fully permitted in early 2026. Once operational, it will not only enable us to scale our diversion efforts but also provide opportunities for education, outreach, and hands-on experiences for schools and community groups.” Targeted markets for finished compost sales include home gardeners, landscaping companies, urban farms, community gardens and municipalities seeking sustainable soil amendments.
