Residential Food Scraps Program

Republic Services will provide a small kitchen pail for free every two years. The container has a tight sealing lid and handle. You can store it under the sink, in a cabinet or even in your freezer. Call Republic Services at 925-685-4711 to request a free pail. 

Scrape your plates, toss in that apple core, pour in the leftover gravy and don’t forget the Thanksgiving turkey bones. Then just empty it into your large green organics cart and Republic Services will compost everything, resulting in a nutrient rich soil enrichment for local farmers. Visit the Organics (Green) Cart page for a listing of what is acceptable to put in the green cart. 

Helpful tips when recycling your food scraps

• Dump food directly into the green cart (loose).
• Line your food scraps pail with newspaper or a paper bag to help keep your container clean. The liner paper can be composted with the food scraps.
• Or use BPI-Certified compostable bags to line your kitchen pail (BPI - Meets ASTM 6400 Standard).
• You can also freeze food scraps before emptying into your green cart. Some residents have done this as a sanitary way to manage food scrap storage, especially very wet food scrap materials.
• When you put food scraps into the green cart, try to cover them with yard trimmings to reduce potential odors and pests, or use one piece of cardboard or newspaper at the bottom of the cart to avoid sticking. 
• You can hold the curbside green organics cart lid tightly closed during the week by using a bungee cord, but they’ll need to be removed before putting your cart at the curb for service.