Food Scrap Composting Program

The City of Oxford has compost bins available to all Oxford residents who wish to compost their kitchen food scraps. The City started this program after the realization that ⅓ of the material in our landfills is compostable material. We will continue to expand this program with the goal of reducing the waste created in Oxford.

Who handles composting in the City of Oxford?

The City contracts out to GoZERO services, a nonprofit food scraps courier service, for weekly collection and transportation of Oxford’s food scraps. Our food scraps are transported to Class II permitted facilities that are licensed by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (Ohio EPA) to compost food scraps. 

GoZERO Services

  • Fruits and vegetable scraps (with stickers, ties, and wrappers removed)
  • Meat, fish, and bones
  • Bread, flour, and pasta
  • Eggs and eggshells
  • Nuts and shells
  • Dairy products
  • Oils, fats, dressings, and condiments
  • Spices
  • BPI Compostable Materials and Products

To find out whether your product is certified for composting, look for the Biodegradable Plastic Institute (BPI) logo and the “Compostable” label. The label is usually found at the bottom of cups, plates, etc. and on the handle of utensils. For items that say “Biodegradable”, “Made from Plants”, “Compost”, or “Bio-Compostable," check this website: BPI Compostable.

For more information on what you can compost, access GoZero's FAQ page.

It is suggested that a small bowl or container be kept in the kitchen to accumulate the food scraps as they are generated during meal preparation activities and to accept plate scrapings. Keep the stored food scraps in a cool place. Meat and fish scraps should be stored in the fridge or freezer until taken to the drop-off location. Keep your container(s) clean to help odor reduction. GoZERO Services also accepts food scraps in BPI certified 6400 biodegradable liner bags.

Bring and dump food scraps into the green bins located at the TRI Recreation Center at 6025 Fairfield Road. They are located in the parking lot, along the outfield fence of the baseball field. These cans are available 24/7.

Bring scraps in a reusable container or BPI biodegradable liner bag. Any container of food scraps that you can lift and empty into GoZERO Service’s waste-wheeler carts may be used.

It is estimated that approximately a third of the landfilled material is composed of materials (such as food scraps) that could be composted. Removing food scraps from the waste stream being landfilled has several benefits. Decomposition of organic materials in a landfill (in anaerobic conditions) generates methane and nitrogen gases (in conditions with limited oxygen) that are more effective at trapping heat in the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. Composting food scraps in a controlled manner limits or eliminates the release for these gases. Composting is considered a natural process by the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and any carbon dioxide produced is classified as part of the natural, short-term carbon cycle and is not to be considered in computations or inventories of greenhouse gases. Additionally, removing compostable materials from the landfilled waste stream leaves more space for disposal of materials that can’t be otherwise processed, recycled, or reclaimed, thus lengthening the useful, effective lifetime of the landfill facility.