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Curbside Composting

You can bring your food waste to a food scrap drop-off site for composting.

If you operate a drop-off site, or if you want to suggest a new location, you can report it by filling out the Department of Sanitation's form.

Report the location of a community drop-off site or suggest a location for a new site.

Food Bags and Containers

When you go to a food scrap drop-off site, you must take your food container home with you or throw it out properly unless it is a compostable plastic bag or a plain paper bag with no glossy coatings. Plastic shopping bags or other non-recyclable disposable containers are not compostable.

Compostable plastic bags and plain paper bags can be thrown in with your food waste at drop-off sites. If you use a plain paper bag, you must rip it up and put it in the bin with the food scraps. Note that compostable plastic bags are accepted at some, but not all, food scrap drop-off sites. Ask staff members at the site for details.

You can drop off these types of food types and materials:

Fruit and vegetable scraps
Coffee grounds, filters, and paper tea bags
Bread and grains
Egg shells
Nutshells
Corncobs
Food-soiled paper towels and napkins
Shredded newspaper
Sawdust and wood shavings (from untreated wood)
Stale beans, flour, and spices
Cut or dried flowers
Houseplants and potting soil
Feathers

You can't drop off these items for composting:

Meat or fish scraps
Cheese or dairy products
Fats, grease, or oil
Oily foods
Cat or dog feces
Cat litter
Colored or glossy paper
Sawdust made from pressure-treated plywood or lumber
Coal or charcoal ashes
Non-compostable materials, such as plastics, metals, and glass
Diseased or insect-infested houseplants and soil
Biodegradable/compostable plastics

Food Scrap Drop Off

Food That Can Be Dropped Off

Food That Cannot Be Dropped Off