The Easton Compost Program is a grant-funded, residential food waste collection hub that has diverted 123,000+ pounds of food waste to date since launching in 2018. With around 600 participating families, the program aims to connect Easton’s “sustainable food loop” from start to finish. This program is being funded in whole or in part with funding through the County of Northampton. The Easton Compost Program has also hosted City-wide composting and recycling efforts during popular downtown festivals, educational programs, and finished compost give-aways to participants. 

Currently, the Easton Compost Program is being run on a self-serve basis outside the Lower Hackett Community Garden (1900 Wood Avenue, Easton PA 18042). Be aware that no program attendant will be on site, so come prepared with sanitizing wipes and other cleaning materials to keep you and the compost collection area clean.

Read our Summer ’23 Compost Update for info on our compost delivery and compost bucket scrub-down event. First come, first served. Bring buckets or containers to take compost home.

Please contact gardens@eastonpartnership.org with questions or concerns about the program or to join our waiting list.

 
What CAN I compost? What CAN’T I compost?
  • Fruit and vegetable peels, stems
  • Leftover meals
  • Cheese and other dairy items
  • Meats & seafood
  • Crumbs, leftover sauces and spices
  • Flowers and leaves from houseplants
  • Toothpicks and bamboo skewers
  • Rice and pasta
  • Coffee grounds and tea bags
  • Egg shells
  • Seeds in fruit and vegetables, such as apple seeds and cores
  • Rabbit, horse, gerbil bedding
  • Jack-o-lanterns, holiday wreathes, pine cones, cornstalks
  • “Compostable” or “biodegradable” bags, paper bags, plastic bags
  • Plastic wrapping or pieces on produce, staples
  • Cat and dog waste, pet feathers, human hair, pet fur
  • Grass clippings
  • Shredded newspaper
  • Paper towels and napkins
  • Cardboard egg cartons and other paper-like products
  • Paper cups, plates, or cardboard covered in wax or grease
  • Used facial tissues, cotton balls, dryer lint, wool
  • Sticky notes and shredded paper
  • Cardboard
  • Dust from sweeping the floor, sawdust
  • Campfire ashes
  • Noxious weeds (e.g. Japanese knotweed etc.)

TIPS for Cleaner Composting

  • The Easton Compost Program buckets have a sealed top to keep smells and pests out, but if you want to keep dairy/meat scents out, keep those scraps in a container in your fridge or freezer until it’s time to dump them on Saturdays.
  • Yes, your compost buckets will get dirty! You can rinse out your buckets weekly and/or use a 10-to-1 bleach solution. You can also line your bucket with a plastic bag (we’ll toss it for you on collection days). Please do not use ‘biodegradable plastic bags’, as they appear to be trash and cause issue for pick-up.
  • If you keep your compost bucket outside of the house, you can keep a smaller container or bowl in your kitchen. This way you can fill it while you cook, and won’t forget to save your scraps after your meal.
  • Problems with pests? Make sure you’re keeping the lid to your bin closed, use boiling water to rinse out your bucket before cleaning with a bleach solution, and try limiting the amount of meat or seafood you’re including in your food waste until you’re in the clear.
  • Worried about smell? Try adding coffee grounds and citrus peels to the mix.

Top 10 reasons why we love the Easton Compost Program

10. Less garbage goes to the landfill. 

9. Compost gives us healthier soil and tastier food.

8. It’s convenient. Urban dwellers and those who can’t compost on their own can use the program. No mess or turning the pile – just tip your bucket at the market.

7. It reminds us to limit our food waste even before turning to the compost bin.

6. You can compost items like meat and dairy which you might not want in compost piles at home. No need to worry about pests.

5. Composting cuts our greenhouse gas emissions/reduces our carbon footprint.

4.Come anytime, year-round. We collect compost on Saturdays from 9:00 am – 1:00 pm, but you can utilize the permanent bins at the compost shed anytime of the day or night.

3. You get free, finished compost for your gardens and houseplants!

2. Anyone can participate. We have given away free buckets to collect food scraps, but anyone is welcomed to tip their own containers.

1. City of Easton pride! We’re thrilled to work alongside our neighbors for a cleaner, greener Easton!


For more information:
Contact Easton Compost Program at gardens@eastonpartnership.org.