Food Waste Drop-Off

Food Waste ContainerPlease enjoy our access-controlled community drop-off containers for home food waste! 

Dropping off your food waste is easy! Simply download the CompostHere app, collect your food waste that is approved for collection, and drop it off at a conveniently located food waste collection container at your leisure! 

It's an incredibly easy way to eliminate food waste from your waste stream! 

 

Food Waste Drop-Off Container Locations

E. Carroll Joyner Park, 701 Harris Road
Situated near the Joyner Park Community Center Playground
Closed until November 10, 2025

Downtown Depot Parking Lot, 124 S. White St.
Situated on the sidewalk in the back left corner of the lot near the EV chargers
Available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week

Behind Wake Forest Town Hall, 233 S. Taylor St. 
Situated near the Cash Points ATM directly across from the South Taylor Street entrance to Town Hall 
Available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week

 

Becoming a Food Waste Drop-Off User 

To access these free-standing containers:

  1. Download the CompostHere app on Apple or Google Play.
  2. Create an account to 'unlock' the stations near you.
  3. Answer a few questions to ensure you understand what items are compostable. Contamination is real, and we need your help to create high-quality compost!
  4. Order your Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI)-certified compostable bags, reusable food waste container, or food waste paper bags to collect your food waste in and drop or empty it directly into the container (NO PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS OR TRASH BAGS ARE ALLOWED).
  5. Help divert waste from our landfills, which are rapidly reaching capacity.

If you have questions, contact thedirt@compostnow.org or 919-526-0403.

Icon image          File:Download on the App Store Badge.svg - Wikimedia Commons          File:Google Play Store badge EN.svg - Wikimedia Commons

 

Frequently Asked Questions

While BPI Certified Compostable Plastics are accepted by the contractor, we strongly encourage you to use an alternative option, such as a Reusable Food Waste Storage Container or Food Waste Paper Bag to bring your food waste in for drop-off. 

Reusable Food Waste Storage Container

Food Waste Paper Bags

BPI Certified Compostable Plastics & Products

A collection of compost bins on a marble countertop

Amazon.com: HYTREND-Kitchen Food Waste Bag-120 Bags-%100 Compostable paper  Bag - Leak Resistant- Plastic Free - Small-Certified by BNQ and BPI :  Health & Household

Strongest 2.6 Gal Compostable Bags| BPI Certified-SUPERBIO®

Compostables Compared: Paper vs Film Bags

ACCEPTED MATERIALS
  • Fruit and vegetable scraps
    • This includes fruit pits!
  • Meat, bones, and fish products
  • Pasta, bread, and cereal
  • Cooked and raw foods
  • Dairy products and egg shells
  • Nuts and nut shells
  • Coffee grounds, filters, and tea bags
    • For tea bags, be sure to remove the staple first!
  • Paper towels and paper towel rolls
  • Soiled paper food packaging
    • This is true IF the food packaging is 100% paper and does not have a waxy liner. If the packaging does have a waxy liner, it is only compostable if the packaging says that it is “BPI-Certified Compostable.”
  • Pizza boxes
    • To compost your pizza boxes, please leave them on top of your bin for collection and ensure that they are completely empty.
  • Muffin wrappers
  • Flour and sugar bags
  • Candies, cookies and cake
  • Baking ingredients, herbs, and spices
  • Household plants including soil
  • Pet food
  • Items labeled BPI-Certified Compostable
  • Cheesecloth
    • 100% cotton, unbleached cheesecloth is compostable.
  • Cooking oil
    • Please ensure that the oil is COOLED and only add up to two cups per bin at a time.
  • Wine corks
    • This includes only natural corks and does not include synthetic corks.
      • Tip: Slice open the cork to see if it’s natural cork or synthetic.
  • Fabrics
    • 100% cotton, wool, hemp, jute, silk, linen, and cashmere are all compostable. Be sure to remove any metal parts, plastisol paints, and adornments.
  • Paper Plates
    • This includes 100% paper plates that do not have a plastic coating.
      • Tip: Sometimes it can be difficult to tell whether a paper plate has a plastic coating. Generally, a good trick is to try and rip the plate in half. If it tears easily and without coming apart into layers, it is compostable. If it's hard, or the top layer comes off, it is likely plastic coated and is not compostable.
  • Wax Paper
    • Plain wax paper is compostable, but it must not be confused with parchment paper or other baking sheets not specifically labeled as “wax paper.”
  • Wood sticks
    • This includes products like ice cream sticks, coffee stirrers, and chopsticks.
  • Newspaper
  • Tissue paper
    • This is compostable as long as it isn’t glossy, dyed, or contains glitter.
  • Matches
  • Cheese rinds (natural rinds, any rinds made of wax like Babybel are NOT compostable)
  • Sawdust (derived from 100% natural, untreated wood)
  • Dryer balls made of 100% wool
 
NOT ACCEPTED MATERIALS
  • Plastic
    • Plastic products are not compostable unless they specifically say they are either BPI-Certified Compostable.
      • Tip: You can search the BPI-Compostable database to see if your product is compostable using this website.
  • Styrofoam meat trays
  • Aluminum foil
  • Clams, oysters, and mussels
    • They are basically rocks and are hard to breakdown.
  • Candles, synthetic corks, and gum
  • Artificial flowers and plants
  • Rugs and carpets
  • Cigarette butts and tobacco
  • Dental floss and Q-tips
  • Baby wipes
  • Diapers
    • We cannot accept human waste.
  • Disposable mop sheets
  • Dryer lint
  • Dryer sheets
  • Vacuum cleaner bags and vacuum contents
  • Hair, pet fur, and pet waste
  • Dead animals
  • Fireplace and BBQ ashes
  • Items labeled biodegradable or oxo-biodegradable
    • Those labels are essentially meaningless.
  • Drug pill and vitamin pills
  • Ice cream containers
  • Milk containers
  • Oatmeal packets
  • Paper towels, cotton balls, cotton rounds used with non-compostable cleaning products
  • Produce stickers
  • Takeout containers
    • They are not compostable unless they specifically say they are either BPI-Certified Compostable or labeled ASTM D6400 or D6868.
  • Receipts
  • Popcorn bags
  • Butcher paper
  • Butter wrappers
  • Fingernail clippings

ACCEPTED & NOT ACCEPTED ITEMS

Email thedirt@compostnow.org or call 919-526-0403.