You can bring your food scraps and yard waste to a drop-off site for composting.

Find a food scrap drop-off site.

Food and yard waste drop-off sites only accept certain items.

AcceptedNot Accepted
Bread, stale beans, and grainsAnimal feces and cat litter
Coffee grounds, filters, and paper tea bagsBiodegradable or compostable plastics
Egg shells and nutshellsCheese or dairy products
FeathersCoal or charcoal ashes
Flour and spicesColored or glossy paper
Flowers, houseplants, and potting soilFats, grease, oil, or oily foods
Food-soiled paper towels and napkinsMeat or fish scraps
Fruit and vegetable scrapsPlants and soil diseased and infested with insects
Sawdust and wood shavings from untreated woodPlastics, metal, and glass
Shredded newspapersSawdust from pressure-treated plywood or lumber

You can throw in ripped-up, plain paper bags with your food waste at the drop-off sites. Compostable plastic bags are also accepted for composting at some sites. Ask staff members at the site for details.

You can’t compost:

  • Plastic shopping bags
  • Paper bags with glossy coatings
  • Plastic food containers
  • Other non-recyclable disposable containers

You can’t throw these out with your food and yard waste and must take these bags or containers home with you if you use them to carry your waste to the drop-off site.

You can contact the Department of Sanitation (DSNY) if you would like to open and host a public food scrap drop-off site in your community.

You can also:

  • Suggest a location for a future drop-off site
  • Add an existing drop-off site to DSNY’s site map

Contact DSNY.

  Was this information helpful?   Yes    No