If you want evidence of San Francisco’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact through composting, look no further than its world-class composting program. 

While the state of California has required all cities to provide municipal composting since 2022, San Francisco has required composting since 2009. In fact, Recology, the company that provides collection services and processing for all of San Francisco’s compost, is a global leader, teaching cities all over the world to do it how it’s done in the Bay, where they divert 80 percent of the city’s waste from landfills. Ready to get in on the action? Here’s how. 

What can I compost in San Francisco?

Recology runs one of the most comprehensive composting programs in the world, and so, if you find yourself in San Francisco asking, “What can I compost?” the answer is: a lot. On the list of things you can compost provided by Recology, you’ll find a lot of the usual suspects: 

• All fruits and vegetables (including pits and peels)

• Food scraps

• Plant debris and yard scraps

• Meat

• Compostable cups, plates, bowls, and utensils 

You also might be surprised to see some things on there that other composting programs don’t accept. Recology will accept small amounts of cooking grease that have been soaked up with paper towels, greasy pizza boxes and paper bags, bones from meat and poultry, and even shellfish. 

However, the following items are still not compostable: 

• Aluminum foil

• Plastic bags

• Liquid dairy products

• Plywood

• Styrofoam

How should I contain my food scraps?

While you can purchase any type of bin that you’d like to collect your scraps in for your kitchen, Recology will provide San Francisco residents with a bin free of charge (the limit is one per unit). You can keep this bin on the counter or tucked away in a cabinet under the sink — wherever it will be easiest to access without getting in your way. If you prefer to use your own set up, you can store your food straps in a bin or compostable bag in your freezer, where they’ll take up space but won’t smell.

Additionally, all residents and businesses also receive three curbside cans — one each for recycling, composting, and landfill — which are collected once a week. Bins are color coded; black for landfill, green for composting, and blue for recycling. Because Recology manages all waste collection, San Fran residents don’t have to worry about putting different bins out on different days; landfill, recycle, and compost are all collected together. 

For countertop green bins, Recology can process any compostable bags approved by the Biodegradable Products Institute. Recology can also process paper bags and newspapers, and many residents will choose to double-line their bins with either to keep them as clean and dry as possible. 

How to start composting in San Francisco

If you’re new to San Francisco, it’s not so much an “if” when it comes to composting but more of a “when,” since it’s the law. Everyone in San Francisco is required to keep their trash, recyclable, and compost separate. If you’re a new homeowner in San Francisco, you can start your composting service (as well as trash and recycling) through Recology’s official website. If you’re a renter living in San Francisco, your landlord is required to provide you with curbside bins. If you need a new bin for your kitchen, you can request one by emailing customerservice@recologysf.com. 

How to get compost for your garden

If you live in San Francisco and have a green thumb of your own, you’re in luck. San Francisco hosts giveaway events throughout the year where you can collect high-quality, organic compost free of charge. The compost given away at these events is made from the organic waste that’s collected from Recology bins every single week. That means the stuff you garden with is the very stuff you have helped to divert from ending up in landfills, which offers a lovely circular moment. 

There are three primary ways to get your hands on some free urban compost in San Francisco. 

Free compost giveaways

The SF Environment, SF Public Works, and the SF Unified School District hold regular free compost giveaways throughout the calendar year. Generally held between 9 am and 11 am, the events are totally free thanks to a grant from CalRecycle — all you need to do is BYOB (bring your own bucket). You can sign up for alerts from SF Public Works so you never miss a giveaway. 

Garden resource days

The SF Recreation and Park Department’s Urban Agriculture Program holds monthly garden resource days where San Francisco residents can pick up compost and mulch totally free of charge. And it’s not just compost they’re giving away at these events — depending on availability, you can also find seeds, plant starts, and composting worms there. Just keep in mind there’s a five-bucket-per-household max on compost.

Recology weekend cleanup days

From 8 am to 12 pm in different supervisorial districts across San Francisco, Recology hosts weekend clean-up days where residents can pick up compost (just remember to bring your own bucket!) and also drop off bulky items, recyclables, and yard trimming for disposal. Recology also partners with Goodwill at these events to accept gently used items for donation. If you want to get in on the action, just reach out to Recology for more info. 

For folks interested in producing their own compost instead of (or in addition to) picking up compost from the city, San Francisco’s Garden for the Environment organization can help residents of the city get started. Whether you’re looking to start your own backyard compost pile in the city, get involved in community gardening in the city, begin vermicomposting, or just increase your composting know-how, Garden for the Environment has an event for you. 

Make composting easier with Mill 

One easy way to begin creating your own compost at home is by recycling your food scraps with Mill. The Mill food recycler can process everything from apple cores and banana peels to chicken wings (bones included) and stale bread. Mill turns food waste into Food Grounds that can then be added to your backyard compost pile (if you have one!), sent to curbside pick up, or used right away as a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Plus, it dehydrates and dries the grounds, keeping your kitchen free of fruit flies and unpleasant smells.

Sources:

1. CalRecycle: “New Statewide Mandatory Organic Waste Collection.” https://calrecycle.ca.gov/organics/slcp/collection/

2. United States Environmental Protection Agency: “Zero Waste Case Study: San Francisco.” November 19, 2024. https://www.epa.gov/transforming-waste-tool/zero-waste-case-study-san-francisco

3. Reasons to be cheerful: “How San Francisco Cracked the Urban Composting Code.” May 20, 2022. https://reasonstobecheerful.world/san-francisco-composting-california-law/

4. Recology: “What Goes Where?” https://www.recology.com/recology-san-francisco/what-goes-where/

5. Recology: “Apartment Resources.” https://www.recology.com/recology-san-francisco/apartment-resources/

6. SF Environment: “San Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance.” https://www.sfenvironment.org/files/fliers/files/sfe_zw_mandatory_factsheet.pdf

7. San Francisco Recreation & Parks: “Urban Agriculture Resources.” https://sfrecpark.org/1404/Urban-Agriculture-Resources