Food Scrap Drop Off

Food Scrap Drop Off
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    You can bring your food waste to a 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 containers home with you or throw them out properly unless they are 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 plain paper bags, you must rip them 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 located at each site for details.

    Brochure

    You can get a brochure about various composting programs.

    Download the NYC Compost Project Brochure.

    The types of food and food scraps you can drop off for composting are:

    • 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 cannot 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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