SLO County, thank you for putting your food scraps in the green bin! 

When food and other organic waste goes to our landfills, it emits methane, a super-polluting gas over 80x more potent than carbon dioxide. By composting these materials instead, we keep our air clean and our local soils healthy and productive. 

All organic waste goes in the green bin, including: 

• Food waste, like vegetable peels, meat bones and leftovers
• Yard waste, like leaves, grass clippings and twigs
• Food-soiled paper, like napkins, paper towels and coffee filters

Simply place all of your organic waste into your curbside green bin, and your garbage company will bring it to a local facility to be composted. The compost produced by these facilities is applied on farms and vineyards across SLO County, and the nutrients from our food waste helps our local agriculture industry thrive. 

Collect your food waste easily with a kitchen food scrap pail before placing it in the green bin. While your pail works best with no liner, if you would like to line it, try using a paper bag or a paper towel. Please don't include any plastics, including bags or other products labeled compostable in your green bin. These items don't break down at our local facilities, and are detrimental to the health of the compost. 

Better yet, reducing wasted food at home can save your household money, by reducing the amount of food you buy and throw away! Try planning out meals before you shop, moving older foods to the front of the fridge, and getting creative with leftovers. 

For more on your green bin, click around on our website!