Up and running since 2009, Santa Barbara's commercial foodscraps composting program has over 200 participating businesses: coffee shops, restaurants, hotels, schools, plus a few office-based companies and multi-unit apartment buildings.
Did you know that as of January 1, 2017, businesses that generate 4 cubic yards of organic waste per week are mandated to recycle their organic waste? Read about the Mandatory Commercial Organics Recycling Law (AB 1826) on CalRecycle's website.
Foodscraps are food and soiled paper sorted from your trash. These materials can be diverted from the landfill and turned into compost.
Foodscraps are picked up by the City’s waste hauler, MarBorg, just like your recycling and trash.
Sorting out your foodscraps helps the environment in two ways:
Diverts material from the landfill. When foodscraps are buried they do not only take up a lot of space, but also produce greenhouse gases as they break down.
Foodscraps are turned into compost. Compost is a soil amendment used by local farmers and on public parks and school grounds.
Foodscraps collection is half the cost of trash service. The more foodscraps you separate from your trash, the more you save!
Where do we send our foodscraps?
Our foodscraps go from the local County Transfer Station to Agromin, a commercial composting facility in Oxnard. They spend several weeks in windrows, heated to 131 degrees, to produce a high-quality soil amendment.
New Video: Introduction To The Yellow Bin Program
Interested in joining the program?
Schedule a preliminary meeting with a Recycling Specialist at City Trash and Recycling to discuss program and service changes. Contact Us at 564-5631.
Schedule training with a Recycling Specialist to educate your staff in foodscraps sorting.
Place colored binsin the kitchen. It is important to keep blue and yellow bins clearly marked and permanently placed. This will make sorting easy for your staff.
Call to inquire about setting up Foodscraps composting service: (805) 564-5631
Details on the Foodscraps Program
How It Works at Trader Joe's
Helpful Resources
Getting Started with Foodscraps Composting in 5 easy steps (PDF in revision): 2 pages front and back flyer that explains how the foodscraps program works, what goes in the yellow bin, and how to get started
Do’s and Don’ts (PDF): One sheet with the most important practices for food-serving businesses
BPI Logo: Certified compostable national standard logo. Paper items with this logo are accepted in the program. Certified compostable plastic or polylactic acid (PLA) products are not allowed in the Foodscraps Program.
Outdoor Bin Sizes & Frequencies
Outdoor foodscraps containers are available in the following sizes:
Carts: 35 gal, 65 gal
Dumpsters: 1.5 & 2 cubic yards (made of heavy-duty plastic to prevent odors and leaking)
Paper take-out boxes and containers
(metal handle OK)
Parchment Paper
Natural cork
Compostable Plastic Bags and Regular Clear Plastic Bags (we allow these for collection but are removed during processing)
Unacceptable
Aluminum Foil and Trays
Please rinse and recycle these.
"Biodegradable" plastic
'Biodegradable' is not a certified standard for any method of disposal. Please reuse these materials or put them in the landfill.
Styrofoam
We are currently unable to recycle styrofoam. Although you might see a recycling symbol on it, and it is made of recyclable materials, it is made of so much air that there is currently not a viable market for this material.
Aluminum Foil and Trays. Please rinse and recycle these.