Foodscraps Composting

Foodscraps are food and soiled paper sorted from your trash. These materials can be diverted from the landfill and turned into compost.

Foodscraps are picked up by the City’s waste hauler, MarBorg, just like your recycling and trash.

 Sorting out your foodscraps helps the environment in two ways:

1. Diverts material from the landfill. When foodscraps are buried they do not only take up a lot of space, but also produce greenhouse gases as they break down.
2. Foodscraps are turned into compost. Compost is a soil amendment used by local farmers and on public parks and school grounds.

Foodscraps collection is half the cost of trash service. The more foodscraps you separate from your trash, the more you save!

Our foodscraps go from the local County Transfer Station to the County of Santa Barbara ReSource Center.

Outdoor foodscraps containers are available in the following sizes:

• Carts: 35 gal, 65 gal
• Dumpsters: 1.5 & 2 cubic yards (made of heavy-duty plastic to prevent odors and leaking) 

We also offer indoor bins at cost for the convenience of our customers.

• Food Scraps
  • Bread, grains and pasta
  • Coffee grounds with paper filter
  • Dairy
  • Eggshells and eggs
  • Fruit (pits and shells too)
  • Leftovers and spoiled food
  • Meat (including bones)
  • Seafood (including shellfish)
  • Tea and tea bags
  • Vegetables
• Food Soiled Paper
  • Coffee filters
  • Greasy pizza boxes
  • Paper cups and plates
  • Paper bags, napkins, tissues and towels
  • Paper take-out boxes and containers
    (metal handle OK)
  • Parchment Paper
• Natural cork
• Compostable Plastic Bags and Regular Clear Plastic Bags (we allow these for collection but are removed during processing)

• Aluminum Foil and Trays
  Please rinse and recycle these.
• "Biodegradable" plastic
  'Biodegradable' is not a certified standard for any method of disposal. Please reuse these materials or put them in the landfill.
• Cat litter or animal feces
• Ceramic dishware or glassware
• Clothing linens and rags
• "Compostable" plastic cups, utensils, plates. If it looks and feels like plastic, it's a plastic.
• Cooking oil
• Corks - plastic
  Plastic corks can go in the blue bin to be recycled.
• Diapers  
• Flower pots or trays
  If these are plastic and relatively clean they can be recycled in the blue bin.
• Foil-backed or plastic-backed paper
• Glass, metal or plastic not labeled "Compostable"
  Please recycle these materials in the blue bin.
• Juice or soy milk type boxes with foil liner
• Liquids or ice
• Plastic bags, wrappers
• Plastic labeled "compostable"
• Recyclable/clean cardboard or paper
  Please recycle these materials.
• Styrofoam
  We are currently unable to recycle styrofoam. Although you might see a recycling symbol on it, and it is made of recyclable materials, it is made of so much air that there is currently not a viable market for this material.

Aluminum Foil and Trays. Please rinse and recycle these.