Items You Can Put Into Compost

Composting is a process by which organic matter, such as leaves and food scraps, decomposes into soil.

It’s a great way to recycle scraps from your yard and kitchen while also enriching the soil in your garden, improving water retention, and protecting against erosion.

Although it may sound complicated, composting is simple and makes for a fun, rewarding hobby.

Here's what you can and cannot put in your organics recycling (composting) bins.

Items you can compost:

  • Food scraps
  • Fruits and vegetables 
  • Meat, fish, and bones 
  • Dairy products 
  • Eggs and egg shells 
  • Pasta, beans, and rice 
  • Bread and cereal 
  • Nuts and shells
  • Food-soiled paper
  • Plain paper plates, paper towels, compostable paper cup, paper bag
  • Pizza boxes from delivery
  • Napkins and paper towels 
  • Paper egg cartons


Certified compostable products*

  • Plates
  • Cups
  • Bowls
  • Takeout containers
  • Utensils 
  • Other compostable household items
  • compostable silverware, coffee grounds and filters, tea bags, and houseplant leaves
  • Coffee grounds and filters 
  • Hair and nail clippings
  • Tissues
  • Cotton balls and swabs with paper stems
  • Houseplant trimmings and flowers
  • Wooden items such as chopsticks, popsicle sticks, and too

composting flyer

Have you wondered if composting produces methane, heat, CO2, or Biogas? If they do, are they harmful to the environment and people? Can anything be done to reduce their effect if they are dangerous?

On average, composting does produce small amounts of heat as well as a mixture of methane and CO2 called biogas. All of these are made due to the anaerobic reactions from bacteria and other organisms breaking the compost down.

*Look for the BPI logo on certified products. Only items with this logo are accepted. The BPI logo means the item was tested and will fully and safely break down without leaving unnatural byproducts like microplastics.

BPI (Biodegradable Products Institute) is a third-party certification company. You can verify that products are certified compostable by visiting BPI's website and searching their Certified Compostable Products Catalog.