Food Waste Diversion

Acceptable Items

  • Fruit and vegetables
  • Meat, shellfish, fish
  • Pasta, bread, cereal
  • Chips and crackers
  • Dairy products, egg shells
  • Coffee grounds and tea bags
  • Candies, cookies, cake
  • Baking ingredients, herbs, spices
  • Floral arrangements and household plants including soil (not artificial)
  • Pet food
  • Corn husks and cobs
  • Compostable liners

Unacceptable Items

  • Plastic of any kind
  • Styrofoam trays and cups
  • Aluminum foil
  • K-cups
  • Bones
  • Waxed paper/cardboard
  • Cooking oil and grease
  • Animal waste, pet litter, or fur
  • Diapers
  • Hair

The City of Ames is offering FWD, a Food Waste Diversion program, to help keep food waste out of the landfill. Not everyone has the space, time, or know-how to compost food, but many residents want an alternative to putting organic waste in the trash and burying it in a landfill. FWD offers that alternative!

The FWD program allows participants to use their own containers or purchase a starter kit to use for organic waste collection. When your bucket is full, dispose of your organic waste at Resource Recovery at no charge. That's FWD thinking!

You can purchase a FWD Starter Kit at Resource Recovery, 110 Center Ave. The FWD Starter Kit is $10, and includes a four-gallon bucket, lid, five compostable liners and a brochure about the program.