Everything you need to know about what you can compost.
What goes in the green bucket?
- Any fruits or veggies, raw or cooked
- Grains, pasta, bread, rice, tortillas
- Candy
- Cookies, cake, pastries
- Baking ingredients and spices
- Egg shells
- Seeds and pits
- Cut flowers
- Houseplants and soil
- Coffee grounds and paper filters
- Leftovers that don’t get eaten
- Cooked meat and bones
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Tofu
- Cooked fish or seafood
- Food cooked in oil or butter
- Moldy food
- Pet food
- Wine corks
- Paper towels (unless they have cleaning chemicals on them)
- Uncoated paper plates
- Uncoated cardboard takeout containers
- Parchment paper
- 100% cotton cheesecloth
- Paper flour and sugar bags
- Cardboard rolls from paper towels or toilet paper
- Cardboard egg crates
- Pet fur (from trimming or brushing your pets)
- Dryer lint
- Dryer wool balls
- Shredded paper
- Pizza boxes (whole – no need to tear them up)
- Newspaper
- Sawdust
- Starch based packing materials
- Bamboo toothbrush handles (remove plastic bristles)
How do I know if it’s uncoated paper or cardboard?
Typically, coated paper plates or takeout containers will have a shiny or slick surface. Uncoated plates and containers are the kind that get greasy or soak through more easily.
How do I know if it’s starch based packing materials?
Starch based packing materials will easily dissolve when exposed to water.
What doesn't go in the green bucket?
- Uncooked meat
- Uncooked seafood
- Seafood shells (i.e. oyster shells)
- Liquids (small amounts of liquid are fine, but we don’t want a glass of milk or a leftover pot of coffee, etc.)
- Grass/yard waste
- Cooking grease
- Coated paper plates and containers
- Produce stickers
- Chipotle bowls (they’re coated)
- Keurig or other plastic coffee pods
- Plastic of any kind
- Styrofoam
- Dryer sheets
- Fireplace or BBQ ashes
- Aluminum foil or metal of any kind
- Cleaning wipes (i.e. Clorox Wipes)
- Flushable wipes
- Kleenex
- Toilet paper
- Q-tips
- Pet waste or cat litter
- Items labeled biodegradable or oxo-biodegradable
Why can’t we add grass or yard waste?
Herbicides used on yards will linger in compost and can potentially kill plants grown using that compost. Even if you haven’t used herbicides, a neighbor may have, which could have blown into your yard and remain on your grass clippings.