Food Scraps

Step one 

Pick up a free starter kit
Free food scraps starter kits and compostable bags are available at any Ramsey County Yard Waste collection site. 

Step two 

Line your kitchen caddy with a compostable bag and fill with food scraps and other accepted items.

Ramsey County offers free compostable bags at all collection sites.

If using a bag not provided by the county, check that it has the “compostable” logo from the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) on the bag or the box.

Step three

Bring your bagged food scraps (organics recycling) to one of the collection sites listed above.

Once the compostable bag(s) is full of food scraps (organics recycling), place it in the organics recycling dumpster at one of the Ramsey County collection sites. 

Social distancing is recommended.

Step Four

Pick up a new compostable bag and continue collecting food scraps. Minimize odor and pests by dropping off your food scraps at a collection site at least once per week. You can also keep your compostable bag with food scraps in the freezer until you are ready to drop it off.

See what happens to your food scraps

Watch this video to learn what happens to your food scraps after they're collected.

• Watch the video with described audio.
• Watch the video with subtitles in Spanish.
• Watch this video with subtitles in Hmong.
• Watch this video  with subtitles in Somali.
• Watch this video with subtitles in Karen. 

This program is open to Ramsey and Washington County households only. No businesses or institutions.

Collect all food waste, including:

• Bones.
• Candy.
• Coffee grounds and paper filters.
• Corn cobs.
• Dairy products.
• Egg shells.
• Fish and shellfish.
• Fruits and fruit peels.
• Grains.
• Grease.
• Herbs and spices.
• Hot and cold cereals.
• Meats.
• Moldy or expired food.
• Nut shells.
• Pastries and pies.
• Popcorn kernels.
• Soup.
• Sauces.
• Vegetables.

Collect certified compostable items:

• Certified compostable cups, plates, utensils, bags, etc.
• Check that it has the “Compostable” logo from the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) or Compost Manufacturing Alliance.

Collect non-recyclable paper:

• Paper towels, tissues, pizza boxes, napkins, food-stained paper bags and paper egg cartons (remove any sticker labels).

Please only place items from this accepted items list into your food scraps collection. This will produce a high-quality compost and help keep our food scraps collection programs running. For questions, contact [email protected]

Items NOT accepted

• Diapers and personal hygiene products.
• Dog, cat or animal waste of any kind.
• Grass, leaves or yard waste of any kind.
• Glass.
• Metal.
• Non-compostable items.
• Paper products (like paper plates, bowls, cups, and to-go containers) without the BPI or Compost Manufacturing Alliance logo.
• Plastic.
• Plastic bags.
• ​Shredded paper.
• Trash.
• Wood.

Home composting is an easy way to turn organic waste into rich soil. 

Learn more about backyard composting.

Forty percent of all food in America is wasted. Get tips on how to buy the right amount of food and make it last longer. Visit SaveTheFood.com.

Learn more about food saving tips in the fact sheets below.

• Food saving tips - English (PDF)
• Food saving tips - Spanish (PDF)
• Food saving tips - Somali (PDF)

Finished compost made from food scraps is available for purchase at SET and SMSC commercial compost sites. It can be used in home gardening and landscaping projects.

• Benefits of compost
• How to use compost

You’ll soon have a new way to recycle food scraps from home! Ramsey and Washington counties are working together to bring a food scraps pick up service to all residents, with rollout beginning late 2022 into 2023.  

Why: Over 20% of household trash is food scraps, like fruit peels, eggshells, coffee grounds and more. By separating your food scraps, you can help them turn back into soil instead of becoming waste.  

Who: Residents of Ramsey and Washington counties – whether you live in an apartment, condo or house. 

When: Rollout to begin late 2022 into 2023.  

How: Food scraps will be picked up from your home along with your trash. To participate, you will sign up to receive thick, compostable bags that will be shipped to your home at no charge. You’ll use these bags to collect your food scraps. Once a bag is full, you’ll place it in your regular trash can, and trash will be collected as usual. The bags will be mechanically sorted from the trash after collection so that they can be composted. 

This new program is part of a larger system for managing food scraps. County food scraps drop-off sites will remain in operation, and some people may prefer to compost food scraps in their backyards. Do what works best for you! 

Stay tuned for updates. In the meantime, more information can be found here on the Ramsey/Washington Recycling & Energy website.