Composting allows you to return badly needed organic matter to your soil. In this way, we participate in nature's cycle and cut down on the amount of trash going into burgeoning landfills. And, unlike some fertilizers, compost will not run off your yard and pollute Austin's creeks and waterways.
What Can Be Composted? If it grows, it goes:
- Coffee grounds
- Grass clippings
- Leaves
- Shredded paper
- Tea and coffee grains
- Vegetable and fruit scraps
- Wood chips
- Yard trimmings (old plants, wilted flowers, small prunings)
What should be avoided in home composting?
- Ashes and charcoal
- Dairy products
- Fats, grease, and oils
- Food sauces
- Invasive weeds
- Meat, fish and poultry (including bones)
- Non-organics (plastic, metal, glass, etc.)
- Pet feces
- Treated wood (or material containing preservatives/toxins)
- Waxed or glossy paper
Educational Materials
Take the Home Composting Rebate Challenge.
About 14,000 Austin households are participating in the Curbside Organics Collection Pilot, which collects organic materials at the curb and turns them into nutrient-rich compost. Learn more about the Curbside Organics Collection Pilot.
City Data
Austin Notes