Food Scrap Collection
Planet New Canaan and the Town of New Canaan introduced food scrap recycling at the Transfer Station in late 2020. A crowd-sourced campaign run by PNC raised $8,000 to launch the program, including a $4,000 grant from Sustainable Connecticut.
Why Join the Food Scraps Movement?
Compostable food makes up at least 20% of our municipal waste. Connecticut is facing a waste crisis, exporting nearly 1 million tons of trash out-of-state every year—you can help change that right from your kitchen. Our goal is to make it easy for residents to remove food scraps from the waste stream while delivering environmental and long-term economic benefits to New Canaan. Composting programs like ours turn food waste into nutrient-rich compost that benefits gardens and lawns.
Tiger Mann holding a compost bucket.
Start Simple
Planet New Canaan now offers a Zero Waste Kitchen Kit for just $15 (a $30 value)— everything you need to get started.
What’s included:
• 5-gallon food-safe bucket with secure lid (odor-locking)
• 25 BPI certified compostable liner bags
• Simple guide to accepted items at the Transfer Station
Use it in your kitchen to collect scraps—then choose the composting option that works best for you.
Turn Your Scraps Into Solutions
Start at Home: Collect food waste in an air-tight container – include fruit, vegetables, meat (including bones), fish and dairy. All Food. Only Food! A BPI-certified compostable bag may be used, but absolutely no plastic! You can purchase BPI-certified bags at Weed & Duryea and Walter Stewart's Market. Produce bags from Walter Stewart's may also be used, as they were chosen specially to be compatible with the New Canaan Food Scrap program.
Drop Off at the Transfer Station
Take your bin with the collected food waste when you go to the transfer station with your regular garbage. Look for the labeled receptacles on the left side of the container dumpsters. There’s no extra charge for transfer station pass-holders.
What Happens Next?
From the Transfer Station, food scraps are collected by a third party hauler and transported to local composting facilities in Connecticut, where they’re turned into nutrient-rich compost for reuse.
FAQs
Can bags be used in the food scrap bins?
Certified BPI-compostable bags are allowed as well as plain brown paper bags without a lining.
Can I throw my food scraps in the bin without putting them in a compostable bag?
Yes, scraps do not need to be put in a bag, they can be put in loose in bins.
Can I put food scraps in a produce bag?
Most green produce bags are not compostable. Only BPI-certified compostable bags can be composed. To help our Food Scrap program, Walter Stewart’s has changed all their produce bags to BPI-certified compostable bags. Trader Joe’s also has compostable bags (but not all of them are compostable).
Please check the produce bag before including it with your food scraps. Many stores have green produce bags which will say “Green Friendly” and a chasing arrow recycling symbol; however these bags are made of plastic and do not go into the bin.
Can I put in compostable plates, cups, utensils, etc.?
No, at this time, our food scrap program only accepts food scraps and compostable bags.
Are paper towels allowed in the food scrap bins?
No. Other programs may allow them but paper towels, white or brown, are not allowed in our food scrap bins.
I have lobster shells, can they go into the food scrap bins?
Yes, shellfish shells are allowed in the food scrap bins.
I have pumpkins left over from Halloween, can they go into the food scrap bins?
Yes, but please chop up the pumpkins to save space within the bins. If you live somewhere with woods, consider throwing the pumpkins into the woods, where they will become food for wildlife such as deer, squirrels and chipmunks. Please put painted pumpkins in the trash.
Can I put meat scraps into the food scrap bins?
Yes, as the food scraps are sent off to an industrial composter, we are able to accept meat scraps and bones. If you have a compost pile at home, avoid adding meat as a home compost pile will not get hot enough to kill the bacteria and will attract wildlife -- the kind of wildlife you don’t want to attract.
Do cut flowers go into the bins?
Yes, cut flowers can go into the bin. Please make sure they are free of rubber bands or twisty ties.
What is the difference between Food Scrap Program and Compost at the Transfer Station?
Compost is the end-product of the composting process. The Transfer Station has an area with "Compost" which is the leaf compost available to all residents (regardless of Transfer Station pass status). Compost is available for pick-up and use in their own gardens. The Food Scrap Recycling bins are taken away by Curbside Compost. We do not receive the end-product but our goal is to keep food scraps out of the municipal waste stream and turned into a useful product.
Stickers on my produce, can they be composted?
No, please remove them when possible.
Is pet food accepted?
Yes, dog and cat food can go into the food scrap bins but pet waste is NOT permitted and should be put in the garbage.
Planet New Canaan
P.O. Box 121
New Canaan, CT 06840
Email: [email protected]