Food Waste & Composting

The compost hubs located at the city-sponsored community gardens provide free food scrap drop-off and onsite composting May-October. The bins are stewarded during volunteer work sessions throughout the season and finished compost is available periodically on a first come, first-served basis to those that assist with monthly maintenance.

The Sustainability Office provides several free year-round food scrap drop off stations throughout Flagstaff. This program seeks to advance the City's Rethink Waste Plan and Carbon Neutrality goals through food waste minimization. Click below to learn what materials are accepted and where your nearest drop-off is located.

Food waste cost families a significant amount of money and wastes valuable resources that went into producing the food. Smart purchasing, storing and distribution of food helps to alleviate the amount of food waste that ends up in the landfill. Check out our “Smart Tips for Preventing Food Waste” here.

Urban animal keeping such as chickens can help with reduction in household food and yard waste while also providing the potential to improve soils. They just require some planning, commitment and care. Find helpful information about the permitting process and care guides below.

Chicken keeping and composting methods work together to provide healthy soil for your garden and keep food waste out of the landfill. To promote these activities, the Flagstaff Sustainability Office provides rebates to help reduce the cost of purchasing prefabricated chicken coops and composters.

Composting at your own home can be an easy and rewarding process if you have the right information to get you started. Review our curated guides for how to successfully compost at home whether its a prefabricated tumbler, a hot pile in your yard, or a worm bin in your laundry room.

Residents can compost their pumpkins every year to reduce waste in the landfill. Dates, location, and times for this event is determined each year so please check back every fall.

The Expert Composter Certification is a series of workshops designed to give residents the skills they need to become effective composting educators and advocates within their communities.