Compost Drop-Off Program
The Athens-Clarke County Solid Waste Department offers drop-off for food scraps and compostable products (paper plates, napkins, clamshells) for composting. This program offers the public the opportunity to divert their compostable material from the trash and turn it into beneficial, beautiful compost.
- No charge for Athens-Clarke County residents
- Compostable material must be loose or in a compostable bag
- Anything that was once alive can be compost. More information below
What goes in the compost cart?
- Anything that used to be alive. Really.
- Food scraps, including meat, cheese, yogurt
- Dirty paper – Pizza boxes, paper plates, paper napkins
- Cardboard, sandwich wrapping paper
- Wax-coated cardboard
- Flowers
- Compostables can even include hair, vacuum ‘dirt,’ laundry dryer lint, beverages, spoiled meat, rotten fruit/vegetables
- BPI-certified products
NOT these items:
- Plastics that are not BPI certified
- Paper cups (NEW - Paper cups and clean, empty paper containers are now accepted in mixed recycling collection.)
- Roadkill/dead wildlife
- Just the food – not the containers (no Styrofoam or plastics)
- Harsh cleaning agents (paper towels used with bleach, etc.)