We are accepting food scraps for compost!

PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE FOOD SCRAPS OR ANY GARBAGE AT THE GATE.

Compost Drop-Off

PLEASE Never leave food scraps at the gate! It will both attract rats AND we could get ticketed by the city!

Compost Drop off Procedure:

1. Empty your food scraps into one of the labeled, perforated silver metal garbage cans. DO NOT LEAVE PLASTIC BAGS IN THE CANS. Please throw any plastic bags in the trash.

2. Mix in provided brown paper or leaves with your scraps.

3. Place any trash (plastic bags, stickers, etc.) in the far left can labeled TRASH.

BONUS: Cutting up your food scraps at home is incredibly helpful and we greatly appreciate it!

Remember, NEVER put anything in the big wooden/chicken wire compost bins yourself! We keep records of how much food waste we divert from the waste stream so please leave your scraps to be weighed before they are added to one of the bins.
Unsure of what can or can’t be composted?

YES!                                                   

• fruit and vegetable peelings

• rice, pasta, bread, cereal, etc.

• coffee grounds with filter, tea bags

• eggshells

• cut or dried flowers, houseplants, potting soil

NO!

• meat, dairy, bones, oily foods

• dog or cat feces, kitty litter

• coal or charcoal

• coconuts

• diseased or insect-infested houseplants and soil

We generally do NOT accept yard waste [dead leaves, grass clippings, etc.] but please CONTACT US at 462halsey@gmail.com if you have questions about this. 

Compost FAQs

Should I bring my compost in a biodegradable bag (like BioBags)?

No. If you read out the Certifications and Testing page, it says BioBags are “intended to be composted in a municipal or commercial facility” — that means a much bigger and hotter compost pile than anything we could generate.

In our own experience, they take forever to break down and it eventually becomes impossible to tell whether it’s a BioBag or regular plastic so it ends up being taken out of the compost pile and trashed just to be sure. At any rate, we ask everyone to empty their scraps into the metal containers and then cover them with sawdust, so we recommend people use a disposable plastic shopping bag or a reusable compost crock to bring their scraps to us.

Can I drop off biodegradable plastics (utensils, plates, etc.)?

Like the biodegradable bags, these items are meant to be composted in a large municipal facility which reaches temperatures much higher than anything we could generate.

Can I compost disposable paper products?

It depends. Paper products are something for which we ask you to use your own best judgement; a napkin you use at dinner or a paper towel used for a spill is fine, but nothing too saturated with grease or cleaning products. Unbleached paper products are ideal but even standard commercial products are still okay. All personal hygiene products (toilet paper, facial tissues, feminine hygiene products, diapers and/or diaper liners) are NOT ACCEPTED.

Can I compost baked goods that have dairy ingredients?

Baked goods are acceptable, provided they are not fatty. So, stale sandwich bread, hot dog buns, old Cheerios, etc. would all be fine but not, say, banana bread or a croissant or cereal that’s been in milk.

What do you do with all the compost?

We use it! We regularly add it to all of our garden beds to feed our plants and improve the condition of our soil. We also apply it to the street trees surrounding the garden.