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What goes into your green organics cart?
Place the following items into your green organics cart:
- Plant debris and grass clippings
- Branches up to 4 feet long and 6 inches wide
- Untreated wood up to 4 feet long and 6 inches wide
- Uncoated food-soiled paper products: paper napkins, paper towels, paper plates and cups
- Shredded paper
- Food scraps and coffee grounds, egg shells, seeds, and bones.
Note: If an item does not fit into any of the categories above, please keep it out of the organics container. A paper bag can be used to contain food scraps and shredded paper.
NO liquids, glass, metal.
NO plastic of any kind, including
biodegradable / compostable plastic.
Food-soiled paper &
shredded paper
Plant debris &
untreated/raw wood
Food, coffee grounds, egg shells, seeds, bones.
Be Aware of Contaminants
Keep the following materials out of the green organics cart.
- Palm leaves and cacti
- Rocks, dirt/soil, and concrete
- Pressure-treated or painted wood
- Dead animals
- Glass
- Metal
- Liquids
- Coated paper products
- Plastic of any kind, including plastic labeled “biodegradable” or “compostable”
Keep Food, Yard Waste and Other Compostable Items Out of the trash
Food waste has a significant impact on global warming. When food goes to the landfill, it rots and emits methane, a greenhouse gas that damages the environment. Sadly, 30% of landfilled trash is in fact food. Please do your part and place all food items into your green waste bin. Learn why this is important now.
Remember the four Rs: Reuse, Recycle, Reduce, Rot
Reduce comes before rot, so buy only what you will eat. Prepare and store food properly because wasted food is a growing problem with profound environmental impactsuse. By making small shifts in how you shop, prepare, and store food, you can toss less, save money, and keep the valuable resources used to produce and distribute food from going to waste.
Tips on What to Put in the Green Organics Cart
Duration: 44 seconds
Did you know that green waste like yard trimming and food scraps can go into the green bin to create compost? Composting reduces waste and helps the environment. This video from Oro Loma Sanitary District offers tips on what is compostable and how to compost.
Recyclables and Compostables: Think Before You Toss!
Duration: 15 seconds
Oro Loma Sanitary District says Think Before You Toss! Put recyclables – like bottles and cans – in the recycling bin and compostables – like food scraps and grass trimmings – in the green bin. Let’s all reduce what goes into the landfill.
