Commercial Compost Service
Yard & Food Waste
Upper Valley Disposal & Recycling provides collection of compostable materials like yard waste, food waste and food-soiled papers.
Our Food Scraps Compost program is available for our restaurants and businesses with a commercial kitchen.
As of January 1, 2022, you must sort your recyclables and organic waste including paper, cardboard, yard waste, food scraps, and food soiled paper from the garbage. It’s the law!
GREEN COMPOST Cart(s) & Bins
Did you know that Up Valley customers can now put food scraps and food-soiled paper along with yard trimmings in their compost carts for curbside collection AND it’s now the law?
As of January 1, 2022, a new law (SB 1383) requires that all Californian’s properly sort their organic waste for composting from materials that go to the landfill. Compost collection service is included as part of your commercial service package with Upper Valley Disposal & Recycling.
Visit our Commercial Service Information page to review the container options and set out rules for commercial customers.
Why does adding food, food soiled paper and yard waste to my green compost cart matter?
The average up valley resident generates 4.5 pounds of trash per day. Of that 4.5 pounds, approximately one third is compostable organic material.
If all UVD&R household customers composted, that would mean 548 pounds of organic material per person annually were no longer wasted in landfills. That would be about 11,000 TONS per year in total!
When organic materials end up in landfills, they generate methane, a powerful greenhouse gas. UVD&R’s compost facility instead turns this valuable material into organic compost. When compost is used in landscape and agriculture it builds soil nutrients, conserves water, and reduces the need for fertilizers.
What Belongs in COMPOST
Put all your yard waste, food scraps & food soiled paper into your green cart(s). Do not overfill; make sure that the lid closes securely when placed at the curb for collection. Please remember that any materials extending beyond the rim of any cart will be subject to an extra charge or your cart not being picked up.
These materials can be placed in the yard waste/food scraps cart(s).
Food Scraps
- All prepared, cooked & spoiled food
- Fruits and vegetables
- Meat, Poultry, fish & shellfish including bones
- Bread, pasta, grain, rice & beans
- Egg shells, coffee grounds
- Dairy products & cheese
Food-Soiled Paper
- Unlined paper plates, paper cups, paper napkins, paper towels & paper bags
- Bamboo paper plates & cutlery
- Food-soiled pizza boxes and paper bags
- Paper coffee filters and tea bags
- Plain, uncoated shredded paper & paper egg cartons
Yard Waste
- Leaves, flowers & grass
- Shrubs, twigs and branches (up to 3 feet)
- Unpainted or untreated wood scraps
BPI Certified Compostable Bags
- BPI Certified Compostable Bags are ok!
What Doesn’t Belong in Compost
These materials can be placed in the yard waste/food scraps cart(s).
- Plastic bags (except BPI Certified Compostable)
- Milk and juice cartons
- Glass
- Lawn sod
- Ash or burned material
- Painted or treated wood
- Pet waste or manure
- Dirt, rock, sand or concrete
- Compostable plastic cups, utensils & containers
- Waxed Cardboard and paper
- Household garbage
- Wipes, diapers, masks & feminine hygiene products
BPI Certified Bags
If you choose to collect food scraps with compostable bags, they must meet Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) standards and show the BPI symbol.
Bags can be purchased at:
- CalMart in Calistoga
- Silverado Ace Hardware in Calistoga
- Steve’s Hardware Inc. in St. Helena
- Howell Mountain Ace Hardware in Angwin
(only sells 13-gallon bags) - Safeway in St. Helena
- Sunshine Foods in St. Helena
- Online at Amazon, Target, Walmart, Safeway and more!
COMPOST Contamination
We know that it can be difficult to determine what materials are compostable. All materials in the green carts or compost bins go to the Upper Valley Composting Facility where they are made into a nutrient rich soil amendment, compost that is used to grow our food and grapes for the wine we may drink. Contamination is very hard to remove once it is in the compost container.
Why Reducing Contamination Matters
Contaminants can have serious negative consequences for a compost program. Here are just a few examples:
- Reduced compost production – Contamination can cause materials that would otherwise be composted to be landfilled.
- More materials in the landfill – When organic materials end up in landfills, they generate methane, a powerful greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change.
- Safety hazards for compost workers – Since our workers are sorting materials by hand and are in direct contact with these materials, things like broken glass, sharp metals, and wood with nails, can be very dangerous to the health of workers.
What is Compost Contamination?
Contamination is the term used to describe materials that should NOT go into the compost containers. Besides ruining good material, contamination increases labor costs at processing facilities and results in less organic compost being made.
Common Compost Contaminants
- Plastic bags and other plastic packaging (should go into trash). No other packaging labeled compostable can go in to the container.
- Garbage bags (Only BPI certified compostable plastic bags are accepted. Other plastic bags belong in the garbage.
- Milk and juice cartons (should go into recycling).
- Dirt, rock, sand or concrete (should go in a debris box or self-hauled to Clover Flat)
- Pet waste (should go into trash)
- Clothing (donate or goes into trash)
How to Prevent Contamination
- Review the list of what materials CAN be composted.
- Unfortunately, when in doubt, it’s better to throw it out (in the garbage) than to risk contaminating your compost container.
How We Manage Compost Contamination at UVD&R
Compost carts WILL NOT be emptied if contaminated with trash or non-compostable materials.
If the driver notices contamination, he/she may not be able to empty your container. If this happens, the driver will take a picture and enter a code in the on-board computer to let the office know the cart was “skipped” due to contamination. You will receive a call from our office so they can let you know what the driver found and help provide more education so it does not happen in the future.
In some case, the driver may be able to also leave a Non-Collection Notice VIOLATION TAG will be left on the container letting you know why the cart was not collected and an OOPS TAG which will tell you what contamination was found so will know the next time. You will then be given the opportunity to clean up the container so it can be emptied on your next service say. Or you may opt to request a special pickup (for a fee) after removing the contaminants from the container.
(Click to view PDF)
Commercial food scraps program
The Food Scraps Compost program (available only for restaurants and businesses with a commercial kitchen) is offered at no additional cost if the containers stay clean without contamination (i.e., plastic, glass, garbage, etc.).
What Belongs in THE FOOD SCRAPS CART
Separate all food scraps and food soiled paper and place in the designated 64-gallon food scrap cart(s) for collection.
Food Scraps
- All prepared, cooked & spoiled food
- Fruits and vegetables
- Meat, Poultry, fish & shellfish including bones
- Bread, pasta, grain, rice & beans
- Egg shells, coffee grounds
- Dairy products & cheese
Food-Soiled Paper
- Unlined paper plates, paper cups, paper napkins, paper towels & paper bags
- Bamboo paper plates & cutlery
- Food-soiled pizza boxes and paper bags
- Paper coffee filters and tea bags
- Plain, uncoated shredded paper & paper egg cartons
What DOESn’t BELONG in THE FOOD SCRAPS CART
- Yard waste & Plant trimmings
- Recyclable cardboard, glass, metal, paper or plastic
- Cooking Oil or grease*
- Utencils
- Ceramic dishware, pyrex & glassware
- Plastic bags
- Garbage
Missed Collection
We make every effort to emptying your container(s) on your service day, but on occasion, we may miss you. We apologize if this happens.
- If our driver skips collection, please call our office within two business days so we can return at no cost to you.
- If your miss is discovered after office hours, you can leave us a message through our contact form.
- We are all human and may accidently forgot to set-out our containers for collection. If this happens, please call our office hours and let us know. We can offer a one-time courtesy fee waiver and allow you to set out an extra bag the next pick-up day equal to your missed collection without charge. If you cannot wait until the next week to set-out extra garbage, we can go back and empty the cart(s) for an additional $25 per cart and $75 per bin.
- There are other instances when your container(s) may not be emptied. This may be because the container was not out, or it was blocked by something that prevented us from safely emptying it, or the container had prohibited items. If this was the case, we will leave you a notice with instructions on how to correct the problem (such as the cart was not out, the container was blocked, or the contents of the container had prohibited materials). We can return to empty the container for an additional fee per container.
Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
Dispose of materials like batteries, paints and household cleaners properly at the Napa County HHW Facility.
Napa Compost Sales!
We sell compost made from the food scraps and yard waste we collect.