All the Ways To Compost in LA County… Even if You Don’t Have a Green Bin

Did you know that Los Angeles residents can *finally* get their food scraps picked up?

The new(ish) citywide compost program—called Organics L.A.—makes it easy for you to separate organic waste (inclusive of food scraps, yard trimmings, flowers, coffee, and more) from other trash. 

How easy, you ask? The city offers free kitchen pails to collect organic waste in your home and dump it into the large green curbside bins outside, which they pick up once a week. 

Composting is such an accessible action we can all take right now to stop harmful methane emissions. If we all start composting now, we shouldn’t have a problem reaching L.A.’s goal of composting 100% of household waste by 2028. 

Here’s all the ways to compost your food scraps in LA County - even if you don’t have a green bin.

All the ways to compost in LA

Option 1: Use your green bin!

Sometimes simple is best. If you’ve got a green bin, simply drop you food scraps in here — even if the sticker still says yard waste only.

Option 2: Request a green bin.

You’re collecting your food scraps. Your collection container is full. You’re ready to dump your scraps…but you don’t have a green curbside bin.

You’re not alone. Unfortunately many apartment complexes don’t yet have green bins for tenants. The good news is that landlords are required to provide these by the end of 2023.

In the meantime, you’ve still got options to turn your food scraps into nutrient-rich high-value black gold that will help your community.

Any LA resident, including renters, can call 311 to request a green bin for the building where they live.

Option 3: Drop-off your food scraps at a local farmer’s market.

Dropping off your scraps at local farmer’s markets ensures that your compost will provide quality soil for local use. Plus, it’s free, thanks to our friends at LA Compost! Here’s a list of LA locations by day:

• Sunday

  Atwater Village (9:00 AM 2:00 PM): 3528 Larga Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90039

  Wellington Square (9:00 AM 1:00 PM): 4394 W Washington Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90016

  Elysian Valley (10:00 AM 2:00 PM): 1816 Blake Avenue Los Angeles, CA, 90039

• Tuesday

  Highland Park (3:00 PM 7:00 PM): Avenue 58, Marmion Way, Los Angeles, CA 90042

• Wednesday

  Larchmont (1:00 PM - 5:00 PM): 209 North Larchmont Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, 90004

• Thursday

  Central Ave (9:00 AM 2:00 PM): 4301 S Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90011LA

  River (3:00 PM 7:30 PM): 1245 N Spring St, Los Angeles, CA 90012Item description

• Saturday

  Silver Lake (8:00 AM 1:30 PM): 3700 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90026

  Playa Vista (9:00 AM 2:00 PM): 12775 Millennium Dr, Playa Vista, CA 90094

  Crenshaw (10:00 AM 3:00 PM): 5730 Crenshaw Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90043

Option 4: Drop at a Compost Co-Op.

LA Compost also has composting hubs called Compost Co-Ops at locations like gardens, schools, and parks where you can drop off food scraps for free. Finished compost is used onsite to create healthy soils and grow food. Check out a map of locations below, and sign up here!

Option 5: Compost in your yard

If you’ve got the space, a backyard compost pile is the highest value option because it keeps nutrients local and saves on transportation and processing. There are many different ways to produce finished compost compost at home. Here’s an LA Compost guide to choosing the right system for your space: