According to Doug Alexander, President of the non-profit NIE Institute, who developed this backyard composting model:

"Our model for backyard composting cost municipalities $1 per year per household, less than a single residential trash pickup. Residents invest $2 per year and Backyard Composting invests $1 in grant funds per year. (Amounts are 10-year average costs). Our conservative estimate is an average of 500 pounds of organic waste - food scraps, soiled paper and other organics - will be composted per bin. At current tipping fees around $59 per ton (Prince George's County area), for each $1.00 invested, the municipality will save $14.75 each year. Resident's $2 investment will result in $20 or more of high-quality compost each year, compared with purchase at the local big box or garden store. Those are outstanding returns on investment.

We guarantee municipalities that their investment in the compost bins from their tipping fee budget will be returned in reduced tipping fees in one-year or we'll refund the difference."