Food waste
Food scraps and food-soiled paper is heavy and bulky, making up a large portion of the residential waste stream. Keeping this material out of our landfill and converting it into compost will help us reduce waste. Kitchen pails were provided to Union City residents for the convenient collection of food scraps. For your free food scrap container, contact Tri-CED Community Recycling at (510) 429-8030.
Three Easy Steps to Food Scrap Recycling:
1. Collect food scraps and food-soiled paper in the pail or a convenient container of your choosing. No plastic bags please.
2. Empty the pail or container’s contents into your green yard waste cart. If the collection container itself is paper, simply drop the container into the cart.
3. Set out your yard waste cart at the curb for weekly collection.
Go Beyond the Pail!
Some people prefer to use other containers such as:
- Paper milk cartons
- Pizza boxes
- Cereal boxes
- Paper ice cream cartons
- Brown paper bags
- Newspaper
The advantage of using a paper container is that you can drop that into the yard waste cart along with the food scraps.
Tips for using your kitchen pail:
- Keep the lid closed. The pail has a latch that snaps closed.
- Empty the kitchen pail into the yard waste cart as often as you wish; the pail does not have to be full.
- Wash the pail with warm soapy water in your sink after emptying it; it is not recommended for dishwashers.
- Baking soda is a non-toxic deodorant and can be sprinkled in the kitchen pail.
- In warmer weather, the pail should be emptied more frequently.
Other suggestions:
- Freeze or refrigerate the food scraps (in newspaper or paper bags please). Then, place them in the yard waste cart when you roll it out to the curb.
- Keep the lid to your green cart closed.
- Wrap the food scraps, in newspaper or a brown paper bag, before putting them into the cart.
- Set out your green cart out every week on your scheduled collection day, even if it's only partially full.
- Wash out the organics cart regularly (please wash and rinse cart over a landscaped area like lawn or shrubbery, not near a gutter or storm drain, as the rinse water might wash down the storm drain which leads directly to local creeks and the Bay.
What are food scraps and food-soiled paper? |
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Food Scraps |
Food-Soiled Paper Products |
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| What doesn't qualify as food scraps? | |
Please, no :
Metal or foil |
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Can I use a plastic bag to line the kitchen pail?
No, Plastic bags are not compostable and are not allowed in the green cart. Use a whole section of newspaper or a brown paper bag to line your pail. Newspaper and food-soiled papers will absorb moisture from food scraps in your pail, the same way it used to in your kitchen garbage can, and may be dumped into the green cart for composting along with the food scraps.
Should I put my Kitchen Pail at the curb for collection?
Do not put your food scraps pail at the curb for collection. It is only for indoor use in your kitchen, to help you collect food scraps. Empty the pail into the green yard waste cart for weekly collection.
What if I have no yard waste? Can I put just food scraps in my green cart?
Yes. You may wish to wrap the food scraps in newspaper or paper bags to help keep the cart clean.
For more information about food scrap recycling, contract Tri-CED Community Recycling at (510) 429-8030.