Public Works Department

Food Waste Recycling

As of July 2023, the Town of Southbury, in partnership with Sustainable Southbury, started taking food scrap waste. Residents are encouraged to reduce or recycle their food waste. The Food Waste Recycling bins are located next to the textile recycling area in the lower level of the Transfer Station. Southbury Transfer Station is located at 231 Kettletown Road.

Food scraps are one of the largest components of trash sent to landfills and incinerators. By recycling your wasted food you reduce the amount of tonnage the town hauls to a state incinerator or landfill.

Food scraps are not trash, they are a resource that can be turned into useful compost and renewable energy. The Food Scraps collected are hauled to a composting farm to make valuable compost that is sold to farms. The compost increases the nutrients in farm soil and keeps food waste from being burned or sent to landfills resulting in methane gas emissions.

What Can be Recycled:

• Fruits including pits (remove stickers)
• Vegetables (remove stickers, bands, ties)
• Meat and Poultry (bones ok)
• Fish and Shellfish (shells ok)
• Dairy products
• Bread and Pasta
• Rice and Grains
• Egg shells
• Chips and Snacks (no packaging)
• Nuts and Seeds
• Cooked, leftover, spoiled and expired food
• Coffee grounds (paper filters ok)
• Tea bags (NO staples or plastic strings/bags)
• Paper towels and napkins (with food waste only, NO chemicals)
• Bouquet of cut flowers
• BPI certified compostable bags (NO plastic bags)

Not Accepted:

For the success of our program, we are asking residents to stick to our published list of acceptable items (above). Some items MIGHT look like they are recyclable, but they are not. Some companies label and market their products as “compostable", “compostable in a commercial facility" or "biodegradable", but they may not actually be compostable or accepted by the composting facility.

Also, the only bags accepted in the food waste recycling bin are BPI-certified compostable bags. Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) certifies that a particular item is truly compostable in a commercial facility as well as free of any “forever chemicals" such as PFAS that could contaminate the finished compost. Grocery store produce bags ARE NOT BPI-certified.

For these reasons and more, please leave them out of the program. Here’s a full list of unacceptable items:

• Plastic bags, plastic packaging, and wrappers
• Baby/hand wipes and diapers
• Pet waste
• Cornstarch packing peanuts
• Compostable insulation
• Compostable paper plates, utensils, or cups
• Other types of compostable bags
• Roadkill, hunting waste
• Yard waste
• Paper towels with cleaning chemicals
• Tissues (used or not)

Questions: email info@sustainablesouthbury.org or visit www.sustainablesouthbury.org/southburyfoodscraps.