Circle Compost

By now the announcement is all over our socials thanks to our friends and .news ... but here it is directly from us: we are beyond excited to merge our business into as of January 1, 2026.

When we launched Circle Compost in 2016, composting in Philadelphia looked a lot different than it does today. We had zero desire for Bennett customers to change over from their service to ours- the idea was and still is to get more people composting. In the 9+ years since those early days, we grew from servicing just 1 household and 1 coffee shop to composting for more than 2,500 homes and 50+ businesses. We are so humbled and proud of what Circle became, and grateful to all of our customers and partners who embraced us and fueled our growth.

Meanwhile, over those same 9+ years, Tim Bennett and Jen Mastalerz led Bennett Compost to become a national model for what urban composting can be. They partnered with city agencies to create and run Philly's first ever permitted composting site, added a 2nd permitted site, and are working on more. They grew to servicing over 6,000 homes and 150+ businesses.

Though technically we've been competing with them since our inception, we never saw things that way- our only true competitors are landfills and incinerators. In fact, we've collaborated with Bennett in multiple ways over the years, and a few months ago, for business and personal reasons, we approached them with the idea to merge our business into theirs. We are honored that they wanted to make it happen, and now that it's official, we are so excited to start working together toward our shared mission starting in just a few weeks.

Thank you thank you thank you to all of our customers and friends of Circle- none of this is possible without you.

-Dave and Michele, Circle Compost co-founders

📷 taken on the roof of in summer 2022, at one of many events over the years where we stood side by side

We are so excited to merge with our friends at Bennett Compost! More info in the Grid Magazine article linked here:

♻️ For nearly a decade, Philadelphians looking to begin their composting journeys have looked to one of two options for private compost pick-up services — Bennett and Circle Compost. But now, customers won’t have to choose at all.

Bennett Compost announced its acquisition of Circle Compost in an email to customers on Dec. 12, with the merger officially taking effect in 2026.

Tim Bennett founded Bennett Compost in 2009, and the company now diverts 200 tons of waste from landfills each month, serving 6,500 households and 150 businesses with their compost pickup services. Circle Compost was founded by David Bloovman and his wife Michele in 2016.

“When we launched, we launched at the exact same price that [Bennett] had,” says Bloovman. “At the time, they were $15 a month for a five gallon bucket emptied weekly. And I told him, ‘I didn't do this so that we could go out there and be 14 bucks.’ We just wanted to give another option.”

Nine years later, Circle composts more than 25 tons of food scraps every month from over 2,500 customers, 55 of those commercial.

➡️ Read the full story at https://gridphilly.com/blog-home/2025/12/12/bennett-compost-and-circle-compost-announce-merger/

✍️ Julia Lowe
📸 Chris Baker Evens

🎁 Most wrapping paper will end up in landfill due to the fact it can’t be recycled. The solution? Simple low waste gift wrapping!

❄️ Take a look at these suggestions and you may find the perfect solution for your wrapping. All low waste ideas that don’t have to cost you much.

It's that time of year again! We recycle Christmas trees in Philadelphia! For a one time cost of $20, we will pick up your Christmas tree from curbside, bring it to one of our nonprofit farm partner locations, and grind it up into wood chips. The chips will be used as mulch and also in our composting process.

This year’s 2026 pick up dates are January 3/4th, January 10/11th, and January 17/18th.

Please use the following link to sign up for this service. When you click the link, a pop up will appear asking if you have an account with us. If you are a food scrap composting subscriber, please click “Log in” to log into your account.

https://accounts.circlecompost.com/shop/christmas-tree/

Don’t let your tree go in the trash, give it a second life as mulch or compost!

*
*
*
*
*

Happy December! I Spy🔎 in the compost bin: eggshells, celery, avocado peel & orange peel, flowers, magnolia leaves?

*
*
*
*
*

Squash, tomatoes, cauliflower, and pumpkins, oh my! In a world where 133 billion pounds of food is wasted in the United States per year, it is more important than ever to resist the wasteful economy and support nature's circular economy. ♻

We make it easy to divert waste from the landfill and redistribute valuable nutrients back into local soil.

Join us www.circlecompost.com/freetrial or send this post to a friend you think should try our service. If you're an existing customer use your unique referral code for to give 14$ and get 14$ back!

*
*
*
*
*

Last Friday we had the opportunity to speak at Green Woods Charter School!

It was an assembly for all their 6th and 5th graders, around 180 kids total. Our co-founder Dave presented, then answered questions.

The kids asked questions for about half an hour and they had so many questions, it was awesome. Dave answered around 30 questions, and they still had their hands up wanting to ask more when the assembly time ran out. It's great to see kids so interested in what we do here at Circle. Thanks for having us!

*
*
*
*
*