Food Waste Drop-Off

Residents can drop off food waste at designated farmers markets and community sites in all eight wards through this free service. The food waste collected at these drop-off sites is composted at composting and anaerobic digestion facilities in the DC area, such as the Prince George’s County Organics Composting facility in Upper Marlboro, MD.

Complete List of Items Accepted in the Food Waste Drop-Off Program

Materials Accepted ✔️

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

Materials Not Accepted ❌

• Yard waste (Call 311. If calling from outside DC, dial (202) 737-4404, or visit 311.dc.gov to request a yard waste pick up year-round)
• Large amounts of leftover cooking oil and grease (small amounts are acceptable)
• Produce stickers, rubber bands, and twist ties
• Plastic bags, wraps, and film
• Plastic cups, straws, takeout containers, utensils, and packaging
• Compostable and biodegradable food serviceware (e.g., plastic cups, straws, takeout containers, utensils) and all packaging (biodegradable, compostable or other)
• 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 (List of DC’s common native and invasive plants)
• Chewing gum and tobacco
• Medications (prescribed and over-the-counter)

How to bring your food waste to a Food Waste Drop-Off Site

Acceptable food waste and food-soiled paper can be gathered at home in food waste caddies, used containers, and paper or plastic bags. Some people choose to line their food waste containers with BPI-certified compostable liners, but using a liner is optional. 

When you arrive at a Food Waste Drop-Off location, empty your food waste from your container into the available bin(s). At staffed food waste drop-off locations each weekend, paper towels, spatulas, and hand sanitizer are provided for your convenience, and a Zero Waste DC team member may be available to answer questions. 

Note: Please remember that plastic bags are NOT recyclable in the District and should never be placed into traditional blue recycling bins. While BPI-certified compostable bags may be used as liners in food waste containers and can be composted at food waste drop-off sites, they should never go into a traditional blue recycling bin. Due to the nature of flexible plastic films—compostable or not—they can easily become tangled and damage recycling equipment. 

Why should I participate in this program?

• Keeping food out of your trash makes trash less attractive to rodents, like rats and raccoons.
• Food scraps thrown away in the trash may end up in landfills, where they degrade and release methane gas that harms human health and the environment.
• Wasted food that is composted can be used to fertilize soil and produce more food.
• Diverting food from disposal will help the District achieve its goal to reduce waste by 80% by 2040.
• The U.S. throws away about 78 million tons of food each year, which equates to $145 billion in wasted food. (Source: ReFed.org)

How to control odors at home

To help control odors at home, we recommend lining the bottom of food waste containers with newspaper or shredded paper and rinsing the containers between uses. Another tip for controlling odors is storing food scraps in the freezer or refrigerator between drop-offs.

Furthermore, some residents control odors at home by stabilizing their food waste with a grinder-dehydrator machine—there are several major manufacturers of these countertop appliances—and storing the dried material in a sealed container, such as a two-gallon bucket with a tight-fitting lid.

May businesses drop off food waste at a DPW Food Waste Drop-off Site?

No, food scraps from commercial sources, like restaurants, grocery stores, and office buildings, are not accepted at DPW Food Waste Drop-off Sites. Businesses should contract with a local solid waste collector ("hauler") that can handle commercial organic waste to collect their materials. Click here for a list of registered solid waste collectors in the District.

Additional questions?

Please email the Zero Waste team at [email protected].