YES
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Coffee grounds, filters, and paper tea bags
- Bread and grains
- Egg and nut shells
- Food-soiled paper towels and napkins
- Shredded newspaper
- Sawdust and wood shavings from untreated wood
- Stale beans, flour, and spices
- Cut or dried flowers
- Houseplants and potting soil
- Feathers
- BPI-Certified compostable plastics
NO
- Meat or fish scraps
- Cheese or dairy products
- Fats, grease, oil, or oily foods
- Cat or dog feces
- Kitty litter
- Colored or glossy paper
- Sawdust made from pressure-treated plywood or lumber
- Coal or charcoal ashes
- Non-compostable materials like plastic, metals, or glass
- Diseased or insect-infested houseplants and soil
- Biodegradable plastics
Yard Waste
Yard waste is accepted at staffed drop-off sites only! Here are suggestions to ensure that your yard waste is composted. For further info, visit DSNY's service page for leaf and yard waste.
- Do not bring yard waste to unstaffed drop-offs: Big Reuse Brooklyn, Vernon/Jackson 7 commuter stop or Broadway Library locations.
- Please limit your-drop off to no more than two (2) large yard bags per drop-off period.
- We cannot accept or process root balls or branches greater than 1/2-inch diameter.
- Yard waste must be bundled or packaged. We prefer that you bring yard waste in paper refuse bags as they are fully compostable.
- Do not leave yard waste at the drop-off site unless a staff member is available to accept your drop-off.
For more information, visit the accepted drop-off items page at nyc.gov/zerowaste.