Compost DC: Food Waste Collection program

While the one-year pilot to test the service has ended, we are excited to maintain collection services for another year. If you currently receive food waste collection service from DPW, it will continue until further notice.

In 2025, DPW aims to add a limited number of new households as current participants move away or opt out. Priority will be given to residents living in designated low-income and disadvantaged communities (LIDACs) across the District.

If you have neighbors, friends, or family members in DC who are interested in joining to receive food scrap collection services next year or in the future, please encourage them to get on the waitlist by filling out the form here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CompostDCInterest 

Low-income and disadvantaged communities (LIDACs) will be identified using the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) EJScreen Supplemental Indexes and the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST). Specifically, an address will be considered a LIDAC if it is located within: 

• Any census tract that is included as disadvantaged in the Climate and Economic Justice Screening Tool (CEJST) and/or
• Any census block group at or above the 90th percentile for any of EJScreen’s Supplemental Indexes when compared to the nation included in EJScreen.

Addresses on the waitlist will be assessed using the above criteria and prioritized for participation above addresses on the waitlist that do not meet those criteria. 

When a District holiday occurs, your Food Waste Collection Day will “slide” to the next day for the rest of the week. For a list of District holidays that will affect collection, please review the DPW Slide Guide.

Keeping your outdoor bin clean is essential to preventing built-up food scraps, reducing odor, and mitigating pests. Here are some tips to keep your bin clean and odor-free:

Keep it Cool:

• Store your bin in a shady spot between collection days.
• Keep your scraps refrigerated or frozen until collection day.

Layer It:

• You can soak up excess moisture and reduce odor by layering your food scraps with paper towels, napkins, or shredded newspaper.
• Add coffee grounds to your bin to reduce odor. A sprinkle of baking soda every few days works just as well!

Bag it Up:

• While not required, using compostable bags or paper bags to contain your food scraps in the bin can make for easier collection and cleanup.
• Out of the provided compostable bags? The brand of bags we provided in your starter kit is BioBag, but you may use any compostable bags with the BPI Certified Compostable logo. Compostable bags can be purchased from local retailers such as Walmart, Target, Ace Hardware or online.
• Don't want to use bags? All good! But regular cleaning will be essential. You may also line the bottom of your bin with newspaper or other paper materials for an easier cleanup.

Keep it Clean:

• After each collection day, a quick wipe-down can help you easily maintain a clean bin.
• For a deeper clean, break out your hose and use a mixture of water with dish soap or vinegar to wash the inside and outside of your bin.

In the case of inclement weather affecting the District, food waste collection may be delayed or canceled for the safety of collection crews. DPW will email participants if winter weather impacts your food waste collection route.

Please ensure you are signed up for email updates at public.govdelivery.com. To ensure that notices about service interruptions are received and do not go to your spam or junk folder, we recommend adding [email protected] and [email protected] as email contacts.

If your food waste collection bin was set out at the correct collection point on the correct collection day and it was not emptied by 4:00 p.m. that day, call 311 or visit 311.dc.gov to file a service request for "Missed Curbside Compost Collection" as soon as possible, and we will schedule a new collection to resolve the error. 

If your food waste collection bin is stolen, missing, or broken, call 311 or visit 311.dc.gov to file a service request, and we will send you a free replacement bin. 

We're sorry we haven't gotten you a starter kit yet. If you have not received your starter kit yet, please email [email protected] (SUBJECT: Starter Kit), and we will arrange for a starter kit to be re-delivered as soon as possible. 

Because the program is serviced through different routes, your Food Waste Collection Day is not necessarily the same as your trash and recycling collection day.

Email us at [email protected] or call (202) 645-8245, and we can look up your collection day.

Your food waste collection point may not be the same has your trash/recycling collection. You should have received a welcome email that included this detail. If you are unsure, please email [email protected] or call (202) 645-8245.

Please avoid placing the compost bin on top of your trash and recycling bins or in a location where it would be obscured from view (e.g., directly behind a parked car). If you have front collection, you may set your bin at the bottom of your front steps/walkway or at the curb/treebox area. 

Households currently receiving trash and recycling services from the DC Department of Public Works (DPW) are eligible to participate in the Food Waste Collection program. DPW provides trash and recycling services to residential households residing in buildings with 3 units or fewer. Commercial properties and households living in multi-family residential buildings with 4 or more units are not eligible. These residents may use DPW's Food Waste Drop-Off program. 

DPW is not adding new participants at this time. However, we aim to add a limited number of new households in 2025 as current participants move away or opt out. Priority will be given to residents living in designated low-income and disadvantaged communities across the District, mainly concentrated in Wards 5, 7, and 8. If you are interested in participating in the future, you may get on the waitlist by filling out the form here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CompostDCInterest 

The sign-up period has now closed. All selected households have been notified if they were selected via a confirmation email or phone call from the Department of Public Works’ Office of Waste Diversion ([email protected]). 

As we transition from a pilot to a program, DPW will be adding a limited number of new households in 2025 only as current participants move away or opt out. Priority will be given to residents living in designated low-income and disadvantaged communities across the District—more details to come.

If you are interested in receiving food waste collection services, we encourage you to get on the waitlist by filling out the form here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CompostDCInterest. In the meantime, check out our Food Waste Drop-Off program!

Participating households will receive a welcome packet in the mail or via email, which details best practices for food waste collection and how food waste will be collected, as well as a physical starter kit that includes an outdoor and indoor collection bin and a starter set of compostable bags.

Acceptable Materials:

• Fruits and vegetables, salad
• Meat and bones, seafood, shellfish, fish, bivalves, and mollusks (cooked or raw)
• Shells (e.g., crab shells, oyster shells, clamshells, and mussel shells)
• Dairy products, eggs and eggshells
• Bread, grains, cereals, rice, pasta, nuts, nutshells, seeds, and beans
• Flour, cornmeal, and spices
• Corncobs and fruit pits
• Pickles, kimchi, and fermented foods
• Pastries, desserts, and candies
• Foods cooked in fats and oils, prepared foods, leftovers
• Moldy or expired foods
• Coffee grounds, paper coffee filters, loose tea, and tea bags made of paper and/or cotton
• Food and beverage-soiled napkins and paper towels
• Cut or dried flowers and houseplants
• Uncoated paper cups, plates and bowls, greasy pizza boxes, and paper bags
• BPI-certified compostable bags

Unacceptable Materials:

• Yard waste (Call 3-1-1 or visit 311.dc.gov to request a free yard waste pick-up year-round)
• Large amounts of leftover cooking oil and grease
• Produce stickers, rubber bands, and twist ties
• Plastic bags, wraps, and film
• Plastic cups, straws, takeout containers, utensils, and packaging
• Compostable and biodegradable plastic food serviceware (e.g., plastic cups, straws, takeout containers, utensils)
• Plastic-lined and wax-coated paper products (e.g., cups, plates, bowls, takeout containers, and cardboard)
• Plastics, metals, foil, glass, and “styrofoam”
• Animal and human waste or bodily fluids (e.g., diapers, kitty litter, dog feces, used facial tissues, used toilet paper, baby wipes, and sanitary products)
• Animal remains, such as deceased pets and “roadkill”
• Diseased or infested houseplants, invasive plants, or contaminated soil
• Chewing gum and tobacco
• Medications (prescribed and over-the-counter)

The compostable bags in your starter kit are large enough to fit in the indoor kitchen caddy. 

You are not required to use the bags. If you choose not to use the bags, we recommend using paper bags or lining the bin with newspaper or other paper materials for easier cleanup after your bin has been emptied. 

Because the bags are meant to break down and be composted, they can be fragile. Bags are more likely to break if a high volume of liquid is included in your food scraps. To increase the lifespan of the bags, reduce the amount of liquids that are going into your bin. You may also try lining the bottom of your compostable bags with paper towels/napkins or shredded paper to soak up the moisture from food scraps. Storing scraps in your fridge or freezer between collection days is also helpful.

You may purchase any compostable bag that is three or more gallons in size and has the BPI Certified Compostable logo. Compostable bags can be purchased from local retailers such as Walmart, Target, or Ace Hardware or online. Examples of brands of bags can be found here. 

Please note that you are not required to use the compostable bags. If you choose not to use the bags, you can simply put your food waste directly in your outdoor bin – just be sure to clean your bin regularly to prevent odor and pests. You may also use a paper bag or line the bottom of the outdoor bin with newspaper or other paper materials for easier clean-up after your container is emptied.  

Food waste collected through this program is primarily brought to the Prince George’s County Organics Composting Facility and processed into compost.

Participants will receive 5 lbs of finished compost each year. If you wish to purchase additional compost, a variety of brands of compost can be purchased from many major and local garden and home improvement stores in and around the District.

Please email [email protected] or call (202) 645-8245, and we will register your new address. Once your new address is confirmed with DPW staff, you may use your food waste collection bin at your new address.

We recommend rinsing your bin with soap and water between uses. Your kitchen caddy is dishwasher safe, but do NOT heat dry it.

To better control odor, you can line the bottom of your kitchen caddy or collection bin with paper products (e.g., napkins, paper towels, brown paper bags, or shredded newspapers) or store food scraps in the freezer or refrigerator until your collection date.

Please ensure your food waste bin is free of contaminants like plastic. If these contaminants are spotted in your bin, our collections crew will not empty the contents of your bin into the collection truck and instead will affix an “Oops” tag to your bin to indicate the presence of contaminants. Your food waste will be collected on your next collection day once the contaminants are removed.

“Oops” tags are not meant to punish you; they are an educational tool to help you better divert your food scraps. Mistakes happen, especially with a new program, but we encourage you to take corrective action and learn from the feedback on the “Oops” tag.

The Compost DC: Food Waste Collection program has the following objectives:

• Divert food waste from landfills and incineration
• Provide accessible composting services to residents
• Create cleaner and healthier communities
• Create compost to be used as a nutrient-rich soil amendments

Rodents are attracted to the smell of food and easy access to it. Currently, households place food scraps into their trash bins, which do not securely close. Participating households can reduce rodent activity near their homes by removing food scraps from their trash bins and placing them in the provided food waste collection bin instead. This will reduce odors when the lid is properly secured closed. The bins have also been tested for odor and rodent mitigation. DPW continues to work closely with DC Health to identify any areas of improvement for rodent abatement.