Austin.com Your Complete Austin Composting Guide

If you aren’t composting already, you should be – especially if you live in the city of Austin. They make it so easy! Between composting and recycling, you may be surprised by how much you can reduce your amount of waste.

In case you aren’t aware, compostable material cannot break down in a landfill. Instead, those items decompose without oxygen and release harmful methane into the atmosphere. Austin’s curbside composting program turns what they collect from you into nutrient-rich compost that can be used to help soil retain water and fertilize lawns and gardens without chemicals.

Now, here’s everything you need to know to get started composting in Austin!

First off, let’s talk about what can and can’t be composted.

Items like plastic, glossy paper, window envelopes, and clean paper products should be recycled in your blue cart instead. You can learn more about what you can and can’t recycle in Austin here.

If you’re unsure what to do with an item, use this tool!

A good rule of thumb: if it grows, it goes in your green composting cart.

Have other questions? You can learn even more at austintexas.gov/composting.