While yard trimmings and many other items are compostable, there are some items that we don’t accept in our Drop-Off Composting program. Here’s what to put in your bucket.
Food & beverages
If it’s edible, we can compost it! This includes:
- Fats and oils
- Meat and bones
- Fish and seafood, including shells
- Fruits and vegetables (remove stickers!)
- Eggs and egg shells
- Milk, cheese, & all other dairy products
- Bread, pasta and grains
- Coffee grounds and tea leaves
- Condiments (ketchup, mustard etc.)
- Soups and sauces
Food-soiled paper & compostable packaging
Please recycle everything you can and compost only small amounts of food-soiled paper including:
- Uncoated paper plates
- Greasy take-out pizza boxes (recycle parts that aren’t food-soiled)
- Uncoated paper take-out containers
- Beverage cups marked “compostable”
- Paper napkins and towels
- Uncoated paper bags
- Coffee filters
- Paper tea bags
- Wooden BBQ skewers
- Compostable products such as cups, take-out containers, utensils, etc. (MUST be BPI Certified or meet ASTM D6400 or D6868 testing standards and be CLEARLY labeled).
Yard debris
- Leaves
- Grass clippings
- Weeds
- Garden debris
- House plants
Click here for more details and limitations on yard debris.
We do not accept:
- Plastic [Note: All compostable products—cups, utensils, etc—MUST be certified compostable and clearly labeled]
- Products that are labeled biodegradable, degradable, photo-degradable, oxo-degradable, etc.
- Cat, dog, or human waste
For more information on what Green Mountain Compost accepts, please visit their What is Compostable page.