Food Scraps Recycling

Users can bring up to 10 gallons of food scraps and paper napkins & towels per day, free of charge, to one of our Drop Spots:

Recycling & Solid Waste Center
160 Commercial Ave., Ithaca
Open Mon - Sat from 7am - 3:30pm

Brooktondale Community Center
522 Valley Rd.
Open every Tuesday from 4pm - 6pm

Cayuga Compost
3225 Agard Rd., Trumansburg
Open 24 hours a day

Cayuga Heights Village Office
836 Hanshaw Rd.
Open every Sunday from 11am - 3pm

Cornell Cooperative Extension
615 Willow Ave., Ithaca
Open every Sunday from 10am - 2pm

Danby Town Hall
1830 Danby Rd. (Route 96B)
Open every Saturday from 9AM-Noon

Dryden Town Highway Department
61 E. Main St. (Rt. 392)
Open every Saturday from 9am - Noon

East Hill Plaza - Ithaca
Pine Tree Rd. (Next to Walgreens)
Open every Saturday from 11am - 2pm
Open May-October Wednesdays 3pm-6pm

Enfield Town Clerk
168 Enfield Main Rd
Now a Compost Club-Register Below

Groton Town Clerk’s Office
101 Conger Boulevard
Open every Saturday 9am-11am

Hancock Street
Corner of Fifth and Hancock Streets, Ithaca
Open every Wednesday from 4pm - 6pm

Lansing Village Office
2405 N. Triphammer Rd.
Open every Saturday from 10am - 1pm

Newfield Town Hall
166 Main Street
Open every Thursday from 4pm - 6pm

Tompkins County Highway Department
170 Bostwick Rd, Ithaca
Open every Saturday from 9am - Noon

Trumansburg Village Public Works
Corey Street (next to Farmers Market)
Open every Saturday from 9am - Noon

1. Collect your food scraps in your kitchen caddy.
2. Empty your kitchen caddy into a transportation container with a secure lid.
3. Bring your transportation container to one of our Drop Spot locations to dispose of your food scraps.

Note: Your first caddy is available free of charge from the Department or Recycling and Materials Management office or at any Drop Spot. Each additional caddy is $5. Transportation containers are available for sale at the Recycling and Materials Management office for $13. Residents are welcome to use alternative transportation containers.

What’s Accepted

• Bread & Grains
• Beans & Nuts
• Compostable Bags
• Eggs & Dairy
• Fruits & Vegetables
• Meat, Fish, & Bones
• Paper Towels/Napkins
• Coffee Grounds/Paper Filters & Tea Bags
• Compostable Bin Liners (BPI-certified, newspaper, or paper bags)

What’s Not Accepted

• Compostable Serviceware
• Glass
• Metal
• Pet Waste
• Plastic
• Utensils
• Yard Waste –Yard waste can be dropped off separately at the Public Drop-off of the RSWC.

Keeping Your Bin Clean

Participants may choose to use compostable liners with their food scraps. The program accepts BPI-certified compostable liners, which are available in the trash bag aisle of several local and big box stores and online. However, many participants choose to save money and reduce consumption by using other materials like newspaper and paper towels, or simply going liner-less. Here are some easy-to-implement tips to keep your food scraps bin clean and odor-free:

• Line your bin with newspaper or paper towel. A drop of dish soap on bottom before paper makes clean-up easier. You can compost the paper with your food scraps.
• Store your food scraps in freezer until drop spot day.
• Sprinkle baking soda on top of food scraps.
• Drop off your scraps more frequently.

• Stop and see the Drop Spot attendant, and follow instructions to the blue tote.
• Gently place your food scraps in the tote. Be sure to close the lid.
• Users may bring up to 10-gallons (two 5-gallon buckets) per day.
• Alternate Container Ideas:
  
  • Reuse plastic coffee containers or other containers that are about 2.5-gallons in size for your kitchen caddy.
  • Reuse a clean kitty litter, food service, or home improvement bucket as your transportation container.
  • Using a kitchen caddy or transport container is not required.

Drop Spot Consultants

The Tompkins County Department of Recycling and Materials Management is seeking new Drop Spot Consultants for its Food Scraps Recycling Program.

Drop Spot Consultants can work as the regular attendant at one or more drop spots, or as a backup, filling in as needed. Consultants provide customer service, offer outreach materials and information regarding the drop spots, and monitor traffic flow and safety. Must be 18 or older.

Drop Spot Consultants are paid $56.25 for a 2.5-hour event, $78.75 for a 3.5-hour event, and $101.25 for a 4.5-hour event. Interested in being considered? Fill out a brief Drop Spot Consultant Form.

If you’d prefer to ask questions over the phone, please call the Recycling and Materials Management Office at (607) 273-6632.

Food Scraps Recycling for Businesses

There are options for Tompkins County businesses that generate more than 10 gallons of food scraps per day through the ReBusiness Partners Program.

Home Composting

For more tips and information on home composting, visit Cornell Cooperative Extension’s compost resources page.

Fats, oils, and grease are a valuable resource that can be turned into biodiesel and other products. They don’t belong in your drain where they can cause clogs and other problems that are expensive to fix. Residents of Tompkins County can collect the liquid fats, oils, and grease from their cooking and then deposit it at the FOG station at the Recycling and Solid Waste Center.

Procedures for collecting liquid FOG:

• Allow the liquid FOG to cool.
• Using a funnel, pour liquid FOG into a reusable container such as an empty milk jug.
• When convenient, deposit FOG at the RSWC.

Tompkins County Recycling and Materials Management (TCRMM) is creating new Compost Club sites for residents who want to drop off their food scraps for composting on their own schedule. Compost Clubs are now set up at Greater Ithaca Activities Center, Enfield Town Clerk and two multifamily apartment complexes.

Here’s how it works:

1. Fill out this Food Scrap Recycling Compost Club Registration Form to register as a participant.
2. Keep an eye out for emails from staff. Once admitted, you’ll receive a combination code to access your Community Drop Off point plus information about how to participate.
3. Collect food scraps at home and drop off at your convenience.

New participants will be added on a rolling basis as capacity allows. Food scraps collected are brought to the Recycling and Solid Waste Center and processed by Cayuga Compost.

Questions? Call 607-273-6632 or contact us.