San Francisco Compost and Green Waste Recycling Program

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San Francisco's Innovative Composting Program


Urban Compost Poster
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Learn all about our ground-breaking composting program.

COMPOSTING GUIDE

Place all of your food scraps, food-soiled paper, and yard trimmings in the green cart

All Food
fruit, vegetables, meat, poultry, seafood, shellfish, bones, rice, beans, pasta, bread, cheese, and eggshells

Food-soiled Paper
waxed cardboard, napkins, paper towels, paper plates, paper milk cartons, tea bags, coffee grounds/filters, wooden crates, and sawdust

Plants
floral trimmings, tree trimmings, leaves, grass, brush, and weeds

The following items are not accepted in the green cart:

* Styrofoam
* plastic bags
* plastic flower pots or trays
* diapers
* kitty litter or animal feces
* rocks, stones, or dirt

Compostable Liner Bags

Where to Buy Compostable Liner Bags

Compostable liner bags are available at more than 80 retail outlets in San Francisco and can be used as part of the City's green-cart program that collects food scraps and yard trimmings for composting.

Sunset Scavenger and Golden Gate Disposal & Recycling companies collect tons of food scraps and yard trimmings through the green-cart program each year, yet some people are hesitant to participate because they have never separated food scraps for compost collection.

Compostable liner bags that meet national standards can help make the process easier for residents and businesses. These new bags are certified by and carry the official compostable logo of the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI).

All four Cole Hardware stores in San Francisco carry compostable liner bags. "They can be found in our cleaning supply area with the other trash bags, and carry the brand names Biobag and Food-Cycler," said Rick Karp, President of Cole Hardware. The 50 Walgreens Drug Stores in the City carry compostable bags under the name Nat-Ur Bags. District Manager Bob Arenson said several Walgreens stores in the Richmond will sponsor events with free sample bags. Experts from San Francisco's Department of the Environment would be there to answer questions about the bags.

City of San Francisco Encourages Additional Use of Green Carts

San Francisco's Department of the Environment is encouraging residents and businesses to place more food scraps and yard trimmings in green collection carts. The new outreach effort is part of an environmental initiative to help San Francisco reach 75 percent recycling citywide by 2010, a goal approved by the Board of Supervisors.

"San Francisco has worked hard to build one of the best recycling programs in the country and is one of the few cities to initiate citywide collection of food scraps for composting," said SF Environment Director Jared Blumenfeld. "It has never been easier for San Franciscans to recycle and compost at home and at work," Blumenfeld said. The "Fantastic Three" recycling program provides color-coded carts for curbside pickup: blue for paper, bottles and cans together; green for food scraps, soiled paper products and plant trimmings; and black for trash. "It is vital for us to get out into the communities and encourage our residents to participate in these programs," he said. "We must all work together to reduce waste."

Food scraps, shellfish shells, meat, bones, banana peals, coffee grounds, even food-soiled paper napkins, paper milk cartons and cheesy pizza boxes can be composted through this program. Glass, plastics and liquid waste should NOT go in your green cart. Glass and plastics can break into small pieces and cause problems in the compost process.

Local restaurants help close the loop
(from food to wine)
More than 1,800 San Francisco restaurants and other food-related businesses are providing food scraps and other compostable material to San Francisco's food scrap compost program. These food scraps are made into a nitrogen rich compost and used by vineyards in the heart of California's wine country, including Napa, Sonoma, El Dorado and Mendocino counties. These vineyards are making delicious wines that are being sold in San Francisco's restaurants.

Contact Information

SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc.
501 Tunnel Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94134

Customer Service: (415) 330-1400
Fax: (415) 330-1402

Copyright © Norcal Waste Systems, Inc.