Find a Composting Drop-Off Location Near You

Food Scraps

These locations accept food waste and food-soiled compostable products — plates with food residue, used napkins, coffee cups with grounds. If you’re composting EE foodservice products that had contact with food, look for this filter.

Composting Facility

The actual processing sites where compostable material breaks down under controlled conditions — temperature, moisture, oxygen, and time. Commercial composting facilities handle the volumes and temperatures needed to process certified compostable packaging (typically 130-160°F for weeks). Not every drop-off site is a composting facility itself; many are collection points that transport material to one.

Drop Off

Locations where you can physically bring compostable material. These range from municipal collection bins to staffed facilities. All 1,300+ locations in this map are drop-off points.

Hauler

Companies that pick up compostable waste and transport it to processing facilities. Useful if you’re a business generating volume — a restaurant, cafeteria, or event venue — and need scheduled collection rather than drop-off.

Municipality

City or county-run composting programs. These are publicly funded and often free or low-cost for residents and local businesses. If your city runs one, it’s usually the easiest option.

Certified Compostable Packaging

Locations that specifically accept commercially certified compostable packaging — products carrying the BPI or CMA certification mark. All Emerald Ecovations foodservice products fall into this category. If a facility has this filter, your EE cups, plates, bowls, and cutlery are accepted.

Uncoated Fiber

Locations that accept uncoated paper and fiber products. This includes items like EE napkins and paper towels that don’t have a compostable lining or coating.

Q: Can I compost Emerald Ecovations products in my backyard?

A: Our products are certified for commercial composting facilities, which reach higher temperatures (130-160°F) than backyard bins. A backyard heap can handle our napkins and uncoated paper towels, but cups, plates, and bowls with compostable linings need a commercial facility. Use the map above to find one near you.

Q: What’s the difference between a drop-off location and a composting facility?

A: A drop-off location is where you bring material. A composting facility is where it gets processed. Many drop-off sites collect compostables and transport them to a facility elsewhere. Some locations are both — you drop off and they process on-site.

Q: Are EE products accepted at all 1,300+ locations?

A: Locations with the “Certified Compostable Packaging” filter (500+) specifically accept BPI-certified packaging like EE products. Locations with only the “Food Scraps” filter may accept food-soiled compostable products but policies vary. When in doubt, call the facility — the phone number is listed in the map.

Q: How do I know if my area has composting infrastructure?

A: Enter your ZIP code in the search bar above. If no results appear within 25 miles, your area may not have commercial composting infrastructure yet. Many municipalities are adding programs — check with your city’s waste management department.

Q: What happens to compostable products in a landfill?

A: In a landfill, compostable products break down slowly (if at all) because landfills are sealed to minimize oxygen and moisture — the opposite of what composting needs. That’s why finding a composting facility matters. The good news: even in a landfill, EE products contain no PFAS, no formaldehyde, and no toxins that would leach into groundwater.

Q: I’m a business. Can I get compostable waste pickup instead of dropping off?

A: Yes — filter by “Hauler” in the map to find companies that offer commercial composting pickup in your area. Many haulers serve restaurants, cafeterias, offices, and event venues with scheduled collection.

Q: How often is this data updated?

A: We refresh the location data quarterly from BeCompostable.com’s national composting directory.