Frequently Asked Questions
What is Compostable?
| Fuits and Vegetables | Dairy Products - Milk, butter, cheese - No containers! |
| Bread, pasta, grains (no raw dough) | Seafood (including shellfish) |
| Eggs and Egg Shells | Paper Towels, Napkins - kitchen only |
| Coffee grounds and filters (no "Keurig style" cups) | Paper plates - only uncoated or compostable |
| Tea bags - loose tea | Food-soiled newspaper |
| Meat (including bones) | Pizza boxes - clean or "greasy" |
| Corrugated fruit and vegetable boxes | Paper bags (uncoated) with or without food scraps |
| Paper icecream containers | Leftover and spoiled food |
| Compostable bags | Approved compostable tableware |
| Grass and Leaves (no sticks or branches) | Animal hair and dryer lint |
What is not Compostable?
There are a few compostable things we are not accepting in our composting and a few non-compostable items you might think are compostable but are not. Please do NOT put the following in your Organics Recycling and Composting containers:
- Yard Debris. Please request a Yard Debris pickup.
- Animal feces.
- Paper plates, paper cartons, and paper containers with a thin waxy or plastic lining.
- Paper Towels used for cleaning with chemical cleaning products.
Other Common Questions
- Can you put things loose into your beige container? Yes, but we do not recommend it. Larger things like greasy pizza boxes may be OK, but small messy things like watermelon rinds and crab shells may not. We can’t guarantee every scrap will shake out cleanly and your container could become smelly and dirty if you do not use the bio-bags. One option is to use a large paper yard debris bag inside your container or you can purchase 35-gallon compostable bags on-line if you want to put items straight into the larger container. Public Works can give you some brands that are acceptable at our composting facility.
- Should you lock the container on pickup day? Yes! The lock is meant to keep critters out of your container. Our laborers will unlock the container when they do the pickup.
- Do I have to put my container out every Wednesday? Whatever works best for you! You can put it out every Wednesday or wait until it is mostly full. We will stop by every Wednesday to check for your container regardless.
- Can dog hair and cat hair go into the composting container? Yes!! In addition to the hair – dryer lint is also acceptable -- never would have guessed that one.
- How do I get more composting bags? You can send us an email or give us a call and we'll be glad to get more bags delivered to you. You can also purchase your own bags online so long as you make sure they are biodegradable bags.
- How do I get a replacement filter for my countertop can? The filters provided last for 3 months. The first replacement filter will be provided by the City, just give us a call or an email and we will deliver it. Replacement filters after this can be bought at hardware stores and cut to fit your container.
- Do you still have room for more people to sign up? Yes! We’re a bit more than half full, so if you have any neighbors or friends in the City who may want to do organics recycling, please send them our way!
