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Local Government

Public Food Waste Containers Ready for Durham Resident Use

Wes Platt

Wes Platt

— 2 min read
Public Food Waste Containers Ready for Durham Resident Use

Got food scraps that should be converted to compost but don’t have the means to accomplish that at home?

The City of Durham has opened two pilot locations with bins for Durham residents to drop off their scraps, extending beyond an initial rollout of limited curbside collections. Collected food waste will go to the North Durham Water Reclamation Facility. After that, Atlas Organics will compost and sell the product.

All About the Food Waste Containers

  • The food scrap bins are at the City Hall loading dock at 101 City Hall Plaza and at the Waste Disposal and Recycling Center at 2115 E. Club Blvd. The City Hall container is open around the clock. The WRDC site is available during that facility’s operating hours.
  • To use the bins, you must download the CompostHere app. Deposit only acceptable items. Users must be Durham residents or City of Durham employees. There’s currently no cost for a subscription to use the containers. The app is available only in English. Non-English speakers are encouraged to visit the composting webpage and use Google Translate to see container instructions in their preferred language.
  • The Solid Waste Management department will evaluate this pilot program through June 30, 2025.

“We believe this is an innovative way to benefit the environment and reduce costs,” Solid Waste Management Director Wayne Fenton said in a news release. “Right now, our pilot curbside collections program is only available to 440 households. So, drop-off locations will provide a great new opportunity for additional residents. More people can collect food scraps and bring them to our drop offs where they will be delivered to the city’s composting site. We are thankful for the state grant that allows us to pilot drop off subscriptions for free.”

The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality awarded Durham $20,000 to pilot the food drop-off units. The Solid Waste Department matched 20% of the grant money from its operating budget.

What Can and Can’t Be Deposited?

  • Only food waste from residential locations, such as houses and apartments. It’s recommended to use a bucket with a lid to collect food scraps, including fruit and vegetable waste, meat bones, and dairy.
  • Limit drop-offs to no more than one to three gallons at a time.
  • Don’t deposit any business or event waste.
  • Don’t deposit metal, plastic (including biobags), or glass.

Violators will lose access. Email FoodWasteInfo@DurhamNC.gov to report problems with a food waste container or the CompostHere app. Contact Durham One Call at 919-560-1200 with questions about how to use a container.

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