Need something else?

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

Find a food scrap drop-off site.

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

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