Athens-Clarke County offers composting at our Commercial Composting Facility. Due to the rapid decomposition and higher temperatures, Commercial Composting can accept many items that are not recommended for backyard composting. Some materials, like compostable food service products, will not decompose fully in an at-home composting pile. Other materials like meat and dairy can create odors and attract animals in backyard compost but are not a problem for the speed and heat of commercial composting.

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 is okay
• Flowers
• Compostables can be pretty gross – 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.)