There's an app for that!
- Download the BetterBin application
- Click Create Account, then enter Account details and preferences
- Click Profile. In your profile select My Communities
- Under Composting search for and select Food Cycle KC
- Click Search to get started!
What goes in the green bucket?
- Any fruits or veggies, raw or cooked
- Grains, pasta, bread, rice, tortillas
- Candy
- Cookies, cake, pastries
- Baking ingredients and spices
- Egg shells
- Seeds and pits
- Cut flowers
- Houseplants and soil
- Coffee grounds and paper filters
- Leftovers that don’t get eaten
- Cooked meat and bones
- Yogurt
- Cheese
- Tofu
- Cooked fish or seafood
- Food cooked in oil or butter
- Moldy food
- Pet food
- Up to 1 cup of cooking grease (per bucket)
- Chipotle bowls
- Tea bags that do not include polypropylene
- Natural wine corks (not plastic)
- Paper towels (unless they have cleaning chemicals on them)
- Uncoated paper plates
- Uncoated cardboard takeout containers (e.g. no tape or stickers)
- Parchment paper if certified compostable
- 100% cotton cheesecloth
- Paper flour and sugar bags
- Cardboard rolls from paper towels or toilet paper
- Cardboard egg crates
- Pet fur (from trimming or brushing your pets)
- Dryer lint
- Wool dryer balls
- Shredded paper (no shredded credit cards)
- Pizza boxes (whole – no need to tear them up)
- Newspaper
- Sawdust
- Starch based packing materials
- Bamboo toothbrush handles (remove plastic bristles)
- Softshell seafood (e.g. shrimp and lobster tails)
- TUV AUSTRIA certified containers
- BPI Certified Compostable containers
How do I know if it’s uncoated paper or cardboard?
Typically, coated paper plates or takeout containers will have a shiny or slick surface. Uncoated plates and containers are the kind that get greasy or soak through more easily.
How do I know if it’s starch based packing materials?
Starch based packing materials will easily dissolve when exposed to water.
What doesn't go in the green bucket?
- Uncooked meat
- Uncooked seafood
- Liquids (small amounts of liquid are fine, but we don’t want a glass of milk or a leftover pot of coffee, etc.)
- Grass/yard waste
- Coated paper plates and containers
- Boxes for soda or juices (the bright print on the box for your favorite 12 pack typically is not great for the compost)
- Clean cardboard boxes and containers (i.e. shipping boxes) these can typically be recycled and reused. It’s better to extend the life of the materials instead of adding them to the compost. Plus the tape and labels are not good for the compost.
- Produce stickers
- Hard shell seafood (e.g. oysters)
- Keurig or other plastic coffee pods
- Plastic of any kind including produce bags
- Rubber bands from produce
- Styrofoam
- Dryer sheets
- Fireplace or BBQ ashes
- Aluminum foil or metal of any kind
- Cleaning wipes (i.e. Clorox Wipes)
- Flushable wipes
- Kleenex
- Toilet paper
- Tea sachets or pyramids (they’re typically made of nylon)
- Q-tips
- Pet waste or cat litter
- Items labeled “biodegradable” or “oxo-biodegradable”
Why can’t we add grass or yard waste?
We don’t want to disburse any grass seeds into your garden if there happens to be something that doesn’t break down fully. Also, herbicides used on yards will linger in compost and can potentially kill plants grown using that compost. Even if you haven’t used herbicides, a neighbor may have, which could have blown into your yard and remain on your grass clippings.
Want to post this info near your compost bucket? Here’s a printable version: FCKC What can go in the bucket
What about my glass bin? What can I put in there? The glass we collect is delivered to Ripple Glass for recycling. Here’s information on what kinds of glass can be recycled.