Drop-Off Composting

Drop-Off Composting is an easy way for you to keep valuable food scraps from being wasted in a landfill. Just separate compostable kitchen scraps from your regular household trash and bring them to a CSWD Drop-Off Center or to Green Mountain Compost. All CSWD Drop-Off Centers participate in this program!

How it works

The scraps we collect in this program are taken to the Green Mountain Compost processing facility, where the piles quickly reach and stay at temperatures of at least 145°F. Because these high temperatures kill any undesirable organisms and break down even tough materials like bones and corncobs, the drop-off composting program can accept a wider variety of items than most backyard compost bins.

Please consult the What is Compostable? page of the Green Mountain Compost website for details on what you can and can’t include in your drop-off compost.

There is no charge to drop off your food scraps. We’ll even give you a free 4-gallon bucket with a lid to help you get started. Just ask the Drop-Off Center operator for your free pail and more information.

Tips for maintaining your drop-off compost bucket

If you find that your bucket gets too messy, try lining the bucket with paper towels, black-and-white newspaper (no colored or glossy pages), a plain brown paper bag, or a compostable plastic bag. You can dump these lining materials right into the compost cart at the CSWD Drop-Off Center.

Please do NOT put anything other than paper or food scraps and plant material into the compost cart. Conventional plastic bags must be emptied and placed in the trash.