What Goes in the Green Bin

Put organic waste in the green bin, but keep inorganic materials like glass, metal, and plastic out.

What goes in the green bin?

Food

All food scraps, including produce, grains, dairy, and meat
Prepared food (leftovers)
Shells (egg shells, seafood shells) and bones
Small amounts of fat, oil, and grease

Food-soiled paper

A lot of heavily food-soiled paper-products are compostable, but not recyclable with clean papers. Put these items in the green bin. Examples include:

Paper napkins
Food-soiled newsprint (often used to line a kitchen catcher)
Paper towel
Coffee grounds and filters, paper tea bags

Other items

Wooden chopsticks, skewers, popsicle sticks
Houseplants (without soil)
Hair or nail clippings
Pet food

What DOES NOT go in the green bin?

Inorganic materials like glass, metal and plastic can't be composted.

Plastic and plastic-lined bags, even the ones labelled "biodegradable" or "compostable" are not accepted at all local facilities as they can cause operational problems, may not break down properly during processing, and may contaminate the finished compost. If the operator identifies plastic bags or other non-compostable materials in the green bin, the entire load may be rejected and sent to landfill. Leave them out of your green bin to be safe, unless specifically allowed by your municipality or service provider.

The following list includes examples of items that do not belong in the green bin. If you have questions about a specific item, contact your municipality or waste hauler.

Animal carcasses
Butter wrappers
Bread tags
Cereal and cracker box liners
Chip and cookie bags
Coffee cups and lids
Cotton swabs and balls, make-up remover pads
Cork
Dental floss
Dirty diapers
Elastic bands
Foil wrap, containers and pie plates

Glass jars
Metal cans
Netting
Parchment paper
Pet food bags and other lined bags
Pet waste or kitty litter (find out what to do with pet waste)
Personal hygiene items
Personal protective equipment (PPE), like face masks
Plastic bags and plastic-lined bags, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
Plastic containers and plastic cutlery, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”

Plastic wrap
Produce stickers (PLU stickers), even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
Ribbon
Rubber bands
Soil, sod, rocks
Styrofoam
Swizzle sticks
Twist ties
Vacuum contents and bags
Wipes (e.g. baby wipes, make-up remover wipes, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”)
Wire

What if I still don’t know where it goes?

Many types of food containers and packaging are made of more than one material, and these are the items that can be the most confusing.

Find out what to do with confusing items.

If you’re still unsure if something goes in the green bin, play it safe and put it in the garbage.

Food Scraps Recycling