Compost

• Plastic bags or containers 
• BPI certified or other "compostable" plastic like products
• Bamboo or pal​m leaf products
• Glass
• Trash and recyclables
• ​Dirt, rocks, stones or gravel​
• Sawdust​
• Branches over 6 inches in diameter or over 4 feet in length
• Painted or treated wood​
• Animal waste or cat litter
• Tree stumps
• Diapers

For winter composting, the colder temperatures mean changing up how to put material in carts. To prevent materials from freezing to your cart, follow these tips:

• Drain as much liquid as possible from food scraps.
• Place an opened paper yard-waste bag inside of the compost cart to catch food scraps. 
• Place a couple pieces of flattened cardboard (1-2 large pizza boxes are perfect) at the bottom of the compost cart before adding waste. This buffer at the bottom of the cart allows the materials to slide out more easily and not freeze to the cart.
• Place materials in a paper or C​MA-W certified bag from the city's list and into your compost cart. It is advised that food scraps be double bagged during the winter to prevent them from freezing to the cart.
• Wrap wet items (e.g., coffee grounds, melon rinds) in 1-2 sheets of compostable paper towels before placing into the compost cart.

If material is frozen to the cart when the city attempts service, it will not be serviced again until the first full week of the following month.

There are ways to manage yard waste without yard bags or compost carts! Here are a few alternatives to disposing of compost material at the curb:

• ​Use a mulching mower to feed grass clippings and leaves back into your lawn. 
• Create a compost pile. Washtenaw County's composting webpage can teach you the basics of getting started. 
• Loose leaves can be left on the ground. They return nutrients to trees while providing cover for important pollinators, fireflies, and other insects. 
• Create a dead wood garden with limbs and branches you might otherwise discard. Even that old holiday tree you pulled out of your house could be used. These​ gardens not only fertilize the underlying soil, they become homes for beneficial insects, birds and fungi. ​​
• Consider replacing your grass with a rain garden stocked with native plants! This means no mowing and little maintenance. Rain gardens have the added benefit of capturing pollution before it entering our streams and rivers, as well as helping replenish groundwater supplies. As a bonus, adding a rain garden can help you save money by making you eligible for a stormwater credit!