Food Scrap Sorting Benefits

Garbage can be a smelly nuisance. However, the majority of those odors actually come from a single source: food that has been thrown away. When food is separated into a compost pail, the garbage container is left with mostly inert material that is not a bother. Lining the compost pail with something like a paper towel (no plastic bags!) will keep it cleaner between uses. The benefits of separating waste extend far beyond avoiding garbage can odors, as the food scraps are turned into compost. 

Compost can help fight fires by helping plants retain more water for longer, suppress weeds while boosting plant growth, and scrub stormwater of road pollutants. This material is recovered from the organics stream and is put to use in landscaping and transportation projects across the city. The City also distributes 10,000 bags of compost to thousands of residents each year at compost giveaways, the next of which is on May 10th! 

Sorting food scraps and yard trimmings into the organics cart is also a good way to protect the community. Composting is an accelerated form of decomposition that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. When those organics are buried in a landfill, they create methane – a heat-trapping gas that contributes to climate change and hazards such as destructive sea-level rise or deadly heat waves. About half of all the collected organics in Alameda County that could be composted are currently being landfilled, generating greenhouse gas emissions.  

Here are some quick reminders of what goes where: 

COMPOST / ORGANICS 

If it is grown, raised, or soiled it goes to the organics bin for composting. 

RECYCLING 

If it is clean metal, glass, paper, or shape-holding plastic, it goes to recycling. 

LANDFILL 

Only what cannot be composted or recycled goes to landfill (except for hazardous waste).  

Finally, mark your calendar for the upcoming compost giveaway on Saturday, May 10, 2025. For details, please visit /services/city-services/compost-giveaway