Compostable Materials — Can this be composted?

"If it grows, it goes!" is the typical refrain in the composting business for determining acceptable materials. To help with that, we have put together a brief list of compostable materials that Black Bear Composting accepts. Please contact us if you would like to inquire about the acceptability of an item not listed below.

Yard Trimmings & Crop Residues:

Leaves
Tree Limbs & Branches (cut to 12" or less)
Untreated Grass Clippings
Harvesting Residuals
Cornstalks
Straw
Mulch

Food Scraps:

Food prep and kitchen food wastes
Unserved food and plate scrapings
Food processing wastes (culls, pulp, stems, peelings, etc.)

Clean Wood Waste:

Chipped brush from tree trimming operations
Sawdust
Cork, cork bottle stoppers

Paper & Paperboard:
Clean paper and cardboard products should be recycled as paper whenever possible. However, some food-soiled paper-based products can't be recycled as paper, but can be recycled by composting. Note that cartons for liquids and ice cream are plastic-lined and CAN'T be composted.

Paper and waxed paper
Cardboard and waxed cardboard
Napkins and paper towels

Compostable Plastics:
BPI Logo The only compostable plastics we will accept are those clearly marked with the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) Compostable Product logo shown here. This certifies that the product completely biodegrades in a commercial-scale composting environment.

If you're planning an event or looking to source compostable products for your business, please do not hesitate to contact us for assistance in finding the right products to maximize the amount of compostable materials.