If you’ve ever discovered a sad container of moldy leftovers in the back of the fridge and thought, “Isn’t there a better fate for this than the trash?” then good news: there absolutely is. It’s called curbside composting, and it’s one of the easiest, most impactful, and surprisingly satisfying habits you can adopt at home.
Since 2023, Tualatin has offered curbside composting as a part of residential yard debris pick up. We’d love for you to give your food scraps a second life this year, one that skips the landfill, skips the methane, and goes straight to becoming rich, healthy soil. It’s like a superhero origin story… but for banana peels!
Why Compost?
Organic waste (food scraps, yard debris, and other plant-based materials) makes up a large portion of what ends up in the landfill. In fact, across the U.S., approximately 25 % of what we throw away is food. When that material is buried in a landfill and deprived of oxygen, it breaks down very slowly and releases methane, a no-good greenhouse gas.
By contrast, when organic waste is composted properly, it produces nutrient-rich compost that can be used by local farms, landscapers, and nurseries to enrich soil, retain moisture, and support healthy plant growth.
It’s Easier Than You Think
Since Tualatin offers weekly residential garbage, recycling, and yard debris service, congrats, you already have curbside composting! Your yard debris roll cart is designed for food scraps and yard debris. Unfortunately, apartments and other multifamily households are not eligible at this time, but we hope to be able to offer this service in the future.
Here’s the simplest way to get started:
- Grab a kitchen container (think a small bucket, a large bowl, or a specific countertop compost bin)
- Collect your scraps in the container
- Empty directly into your yard debris roll cart
- Put cart out for pickup each week
- That’s it. No backyard piles, no fancy gadgets, no rotating drums.
What can go in?
The basic rule: if you can eat it, if it grows, or if it’s food-associated paper, it can go in the yard debris bin:
- Fruits, veggies, dairy, meat, bones, cooked food, raw food, grains, legumes, etc.
- Leaves, grass, houseplants, sticks, branches less than 4 inches in diameter.
- Pizza boxes, coffee filters, and paper teabags (with the staples removed).
Everything else should stay out:
- Sorry, no containers, packaging, or items labeled “compostable,” “biodegradable,” or “made from plants.” These things aren’t accepted in curbside composting programs.
- Large amounts of fats, oils, or grease
- Anything that seems like it belongs on a construction site (ashes, dirt, rocks, sod, lumber, sawdust, raw, painted, or treated wood)
- Pet waste, animal bedding (including straw and chicken manure), or carcasses
- Stumps or large branches
- Trash and recycling
Best Practices
For the countertop:
- It is best practice to empty countertop containers directly into the green bin. Simply wash countertop bins regularly or use paper liners like newspaper pages or small paper bags. While BPI-certified “compostable” bags are allowable, they are strongly not preferred.
- Wipe small amounts of fats, cooking oil, and grease from pots/pans with a paper towel and put those in the trash, not the yard debris. For large amounts of fats, oils, or grease, pour into container with tightly sealed lid and place in the garbage.
- Drain liquids from food, wrap messy or smelly food in paper (or freeze) before putting it into the bin.
For the yard debris bin:
- Set your yard debris bin out every week – even if it isn’t full. Store in the shade (especially during warmer months) and keep the lid closed.
- Line the bottom of the yard debris bin with paper or yard debris (or alternate layers of food/yard debris).
- Clean your bin with soap and water as needed, making sure to empty dirty water onto gravel or grass, not into the street or down the storm drain! You can request a bin cleanout from Republic Services once per year, just give them a ring at 503-981-1278.
Ready to Start? Your Scraps are Waiting.
One household composting is great. But thousands of households composting? That’s a game-changer. It reduces landfill waste and harmful emissions, saves space in your garbage cart, and reduces long-term waste management costs Plus, it feels good to do something so straightforward that genuinely makes a difference in our waste system.
The next time you’re chopping veggies or clearing the table, think of your yard debris bin as a teammate. A teammate that accepts banana peels with enthusiasm, asks very little of you, and delivers big benefits in return.
While composting is totally optional, we hope you’ll give it a try. Let’s turn food and yard waste into something wonderful, one coffee filter, carrot peel, and crunched-up leaf pile at a time!
