Food scraps are leftover or unused foods that are produced in your home. Food-soiled papers are 100% plain paper products (uncoated) that have come into contact with food. Here is a partial list:

Food Scraps

• Bread
• Coffee grounds
• Dairy products (butter, cheese and yogurt)
• Egg shells
• Fruit
• Leftover cooked or raw foods
• Pasta
• Rice
• Vegetables and peelings
• Meats and bones

*Please no plastics or plastic bags, metal or foil, glass, liquids, diapers, or trash.*

Food-Soiled Paper

• Only food-contaminated paper in organics cart
• Most clean/dry paper goes in recyclables cart
• Coffee filters (paper type only)
• Egg cartons (paper cartons only - no foam cartons)
• Newspaper
• Paper bags, cups, napkins, plates
• Paper towels
• Pizza boxes
• Tea bags

The pails are provided for convenient collection of food scraps and some food-soiled paper in your kitchen. Food scraps are then emptied into the organics cart for pick-up.

If you live in a single-family or multi-family home and did not receive a food pail when you moved into your home or when Livermore Sanitation began collecting garbage in Livermore, please call them to receive a free food pail at (925) 449-7300.

Participation in the food scraps program is voluntary. The food scraps program was added to the yard waste program as a convenient way for residents to compost the food scraps instead of sending them to the landfill. In addition, using the food scrap program may help residents decrease the amount of garbage that is placed in the trash cart. This may save residents money by allowing them to switch to a smaller trash cart.

Please do not use plastic bags to line your food scrap pail. Even compostable plastic does not break down in a commercial composting process, and contaminates the finished compost product.

At this time, there are no special pail liners available. Therefore, please use only paper towels, newspaper, paper bags, or no liners in your kitchen pail. You may also use cardboard ice cream containers or non-plastic milk containers for food scrap collection, and then place all the materials in the organics cart. Food-soiled waxed paper and cardboard can be composted with food scraps. Please remember to keep plastic out of the organics cart.

Yes. You may wish to wrap the food scraps in newspaper or paper bags to help keep the cart clean.

No, only certain food-soiled paper like paper towels, napkins, plates, cups, and bags. Newspaper and paper bags used to line the pail can go into the organics cart as well as cardboard ice cream cartons and non-plastic milk jugs used as food scrap collection containers. Please remember to keep plastic out of the organics cart.

No. The kitchen pail is for indoor use in your kitchen. Please empty food pail contents into the organics cart. The organics cart will be collected weekly on your scheduled collection day.

The following guidelines will help minimize the presence of animals and insects:

Kitchen Pail

You may want to line your pail and/or wash it with warm soapy water in your sink after emptying it. Baking soda is a non-toxic deodorant and can be sprinkled in the kitchen pail. In warmer weather, the pail should be emptied more frequently.

Organics Cart

• Keep the lid closed.
• Wrap the food scraps, in newspaper or a brown paper bag, before putting them into the organics cart. Some residents "layer" their food scraps with the yard waste during the week.
• Freeze or refrigerate the food scraps (in newspaper or paper bags please). Then, place them in the organics cart when you roll it out to the curb.
• Wash out the organics cart regularly (please wash and rinse cart over a landscaped area like lawn or shrubbery, not near a gutter or storm drain as the rinse water might wash down the storm drain which leads directly to local creeks and the Bay. Do no use soap or detergents.)

Here are a few simple tips to avoid pests:

• Keep both the kitchen pail and the organics cart tightly closed (the kitchen pail has a latch that snaps closed).
• Empty the kitchen pail frequently and set your organics cart out every week on your scheduled collection day.
• Follow instructions above for washing both your kitchen pail and/or organics cart after you empty it.