Compost

Curb It Compost Program

Boiseans are proud of our successful composting program! 97% of eligible Boise families have a compost cart, and we compost over a third of all collected residential waste. Composting organic waste preserves space in our landfill and reduces methane emissions. Finished compost helps build healthy soils and grow more nutritious food.

Compost Collection

• Curbside compost is collected weekly, year-round.
  • View the collection schedule.
  • Learn more about what can go in your compost cart, and what can't.
  • Place any overflow compostable material in paper bags next to your cart. Up to 10 leaf bags per week will be collected (year round) for participating households.
  • If you have had a missed compost cart pick-up, please email our service provider Republic Services or call at (208) 345-1266.
• Finished compost is available for free to participating households.
  • Learn how to get free compost.
  • Check compost availability at our compost pick-up sites.

Food Scrap Drop-off

Boiseans living in apartments, condos, or other multi-family communities without curbside compost service can now compost! Register now for this free pilot program and take your food scraps to a drop-off site to help turn waste into soil-enriching compost.

Register Here

What Can You Compost?

Accepted Materials

• Yard waste like leaves, grass clippings, garden debris, pinecones, pine needles, and weeds

• Tree stumps, branches and limbs cut to fit in your compost cart
  Extra can be placed beside your cart in bundles up to four feet in length and weighing less than 60 pounds

• Food scraps, including:
• Fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, breads, grains, rice, pasta, and coffee grounds
• NEW: Meat products like beef, pork, chicken, and fish, plus bones, skin and trimmings, and dairy products like cheese, butter, and yogurt
• NEW: Food scraps prepared with cooking-grade fats like butter and cooking oils like olive or vegetable oil.

• Kitchen waste, including paper bags, coffee filters, tea bags, popsicle sticks, toothpicks, wooden chopsticks, and wine corks made of real cork

• Backyard poultry bedding and manure, residential (hobby) horse bedding and manure. NO OTHER MANURES, please.

Not Accepted

• Plastic bags or any type of plastic, including compostable and biodegradable plastics

• Large volumes of raw meat such as whole cuts of raw meat or deep freezer cleanouts

• Hunting carcass residuals such as bones, innards, and residuals from wild game

• Pet waste

• Rocks, sod and soil

• Charcoal and ashes

• Liquids like milk and fryer oil

• Compostable bags, plates, cups, silverware and trays

The city’s compost facility does not accept compostable products. See FAQ.

• Business organic waste (e.g., food scraps from commercial establishments)

View Digital Sorting Guide

What's in the Compost?

Boise’s compost is STA certified through the US Composting Council. Compost is regularly tested by an independent lab for nutrient content, metals, and pathogens. The most recent test results are available below and include approved uses and recommendations for applying compost.

Compost Test Results (PDF)

Use compost for lawn improvements such as mulch around trees and plants for landscaping, or as a soil amendment for vegetable gardens. Curb It Compost is STA Certified and approved for the following uses:

How to use compost

Get Free Compost

Free finished compost is available to participating Boise households at two pick-up sites. You can check the live compost cameras to see how much compost is currently available at each site.

Neighborhoods and community groups can apply for a free compost delivery through the Community Giveback Program. The city’s compost is STA certified through the US Composting Council.

Pick Up Site Locations

• Idaho Botanical Garden
  2355 N. Penitentiary Road. Boise, ID 83702 
  Hours: Monday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• Joplin Road Compost Site
  12142 W Joplin Rd, Boise, ID 83714
  Hours: Monday-Sunday, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Map

Live Compost Cameras

Pick Up Site Regulations

• Compost is only available for Boise households who participate in the compost program. Commercial use is not permitted.
• Compost is available on a first come, first serve basis.
• Pick up is self-serve. Come prepared to load your own compost with shovels and sturdy containers (e.g. bags, boxes, buckets).
• Limit two cubic yards per household per year. We do not sell additional compost.

Community Compost Giveback

In addition to the permanent compost pickup sites, the City of Boise offers bulk compost deliveries directly to your neighborhood or organization.

Neighborhood groups, community organizations and groups of at least five households are all welcome to apply. If approved, the City of Boise will deliver approximately 20 - 25 cubic yards of compost at no cost. For more information, please contact us or call 208-608-7506.

Requirements

• Giveback deliveries must be in the City of Boise. 
• Compost is for neighborhoods, groups of neighbors and community groups.
• When unaffiliated groups of neighbors apply for delivery, a minimum of five households who participate in the compost program must be accessing the compost delivery.
• Each community giveback must designate a site for delivery. The location must not block storm drains, roadways or sidewalks and must be safe for delivery and loading material.
• If the organizer is not the property owner of the delivery location, the organizer must obtain signed consent from the property owner on behalf of the city.
• The organizer must develop a communications strategy to inform the community of this opportunity, such as announcements via neighborhood social media, email groups, websites or meetings.
• The organizer is responsible for managing giveback safely and responsibly.

• The organizer must develop a plan to use any leftover compost. The city will not pick up any unused compost.

Delivery Requirements

• How much is 20 - 25 cubic yards? For reference, 20 - 25 cubic yards of compost will measure approximately 15 feet wide by 15 feet long by 5 feet tall. The delivery truck needs a turnaround area of at least 70' with a dumping area of at least 16' x 20'. 
• The truck needs a height clearance of 14 feet. The dumping area must be free from power lines, tree branches and structure overhangs. 

Restrictions

To keep compost giveback safe and fair, applicants must follow these rules: 

• The city does not provide compost for any commercial operation through this program. 
• It is forbidden to sell, re-sell, or trade any goods or services for compost. 

For any questions about compost giveback, please complete this contact form or call 208-608-7506.

APPLY NOW

Bulk Compost Purchase

Use this form to request purchase of bulk compost produced at the City of Boise’s Twenty Mile South Compost Facility. The City’s compost is STA Certified through the US Composting Council. The most recent compost test composition results, including nutrient content, bulk density, material maturity and stability, heavy metals, and pathogen results can be found here.

Purchase Request Form