Totally unique to our curbside customers — your material will go to local farmers. They’ll convert your material to reusable plant food that will help them reduce chemical fertilizer use. We do this in partnership with the Hillside Fund, and you can read about it here.

If you’re familiar with our Drop-off Compost Club or our commercial service, you know that we historically have accepted plates, bowls, utensils, and other serveware that’s rated for compostability. The reason why we don’t accept this material with the residential curbside service is because the material won’t be going to our usual industrial composting facility, Soil Dynamics in Ashland, NE.

Instead we’ll be sending that to local farmers who will use it as organic fertilizer to lessen their use of chemical fertilizer. The stringent conditions needed to break down compostable serveware won’t be present, and the optics to local neighbors might not look good when they see items that could be perceived as “trash.”

We understand this may be an inconvenience, but the upside is that you’re participating in an innovative program that will help to clean up our local water system. To learn more about how conventional farming has increased Nebraska cancer rates, check out our Hillside Fund page here.

Any food or consumable liquid, including meat, dairy, bones, coffee grounds, and eggs. Yard waste, including leaves and branches smaller than half an inch.

Important: no compostable serveware or bioplastics are accepted. We do accept them in the Compost Club drop-off service. But since this material is going direct to local farms, we have more restrictions on the type of material that can go to these farms.

Download this guide, print it, and put it next to your container.

You’ll need a container. You might also want to use compostable bags. Here’s what we recommend ...

FREE CONTAINER OPTION: Use any old trash can or container already sitting around. Works fine in the cold months to store up to a week. Expect fruit flies in warm months unless you're emptying into something outside every 2-3 days.

FANCY CONTAINER OPTION: This stainless steel compost bin looks great and has a charcoal filter to deter fruit flies. The downside is that at 1.3 gallons, it isn't going to hold much. But it’s a good companion when paired with …

RECOMMENDED CONTAINER OPTION: Get this 5-gallon food-grade bucket & lid. There's enough volume to suffice most families for up to a week, and the lid deters fruit flies. The gamma lid screws on and off. But if you want something faster, we really like this airtight lid.

BAGS OR NO BAGS: We don’t require you to use compostable bags. We just DO NOT want plastic bags to wind up in our drop-off containers.

But be warned, if you try to buy compostable bags online, you might get tricked into buying the wrong thing. There’s lots of confusing language. Only get bags that are BPI Certified.

BAGS WE RECOMMEND: Get these Biobag bags from a carbon-neutral online retailer.

If you have a large amount of yard waste (e.g., more than your typical 30-gallon yard waste bag), we suggest bringing it to the Soil Dynamics Downtown Yard, which can accept unlimited amounts.

This site also accepts glass bottles & jars.

See the above link for hours of operation. You can drop off during our off-hours, too. We just asked that loose yard waste be dropped off during business hours. Bagged yard waste can be left outside the gate by the Compost Club carts. If we're open, please come on in and say hello!

Watch a video overview here.

Compost Credits: Upon subscribing and every calendar year after, you get 6-cubic feet of any soil blend, compost, or mulch. We call these “compost credits.” Please note this cubic feet, not yards :).

Plus you get 20% off any compost, soil, or mulch product we carry anytime of the year, as many times as you'd like.

Example: If you became a member in December, you can redeem product right away. Or if you wait until the spring, you'll actually get 12 cubic feet! Then your 6 cubic feet of product will refresh the next year.

Donate Your Compost Credits: Every spring, we offer you a chance to donate unclaimed credits to select food gardens via our Compost Club Gives campaign.

Where & when to pick it up: product available at our Soil Dynamics Yard near downtown Omaha. Check this link for hours & location.

To redeem compost credits or use discounts, check the Soil Dynamics Shop page for products, fill out the order form here, and mention you're a Curbside Compost Club member.

Yes! We pre-screen for contaminates before items are picked up and also on-site. When working with farmers, we verify that any chemicals they apply to crops are the type that safely break down in our composting process. And when we work with partners that give us a large amount of material, like fiber trays from Omaha Public Schools, we verify that those items are safely compostable. In the case of OPS, we received a signed letter from the manufacuturer going on record that no PFAS were used to make the trays.

Get Up to a Year of Free Curbside Composting.

Help us grow composting in our community and you could earn free Curbside Compost Club service for up to 12 months.

Complete any one of the actions below to qualify.

Spots are limited and available to both current and new customers on a first-come basis.

1) Help a Workplace Start Composting
Food waste happens everywhere — small offices, big companies, schools, you name it. If you help connect us with a workplace that wants to compost, that counts. Contact us here.

2) Connect a Restaurant, School, or Local Business
You know your town better than we do. If there’s a restaurant, school, or business you think should be composting, we’ll give you the tools and info to make the introduction. Just let us know who you reached out to so we can follow up. Contact us here.

3) Sign Up Your Neighbors
For every neighbor you refer, we’ll give you a free month of service! Just have them list your name in the referral section on the sign-up form.

Do More, Get More

Complete more than one action and unlock extra perks like:

• Finished compost delivered to you

• Compostable bags

• Hillside hats or shirts

Thanks for helping composting spread locally — it truly makes a real impact.

We’ve partnered with Bin Bath to bring a sparkling-clean, germ-free bin cleaning service right to your curb. And with code HILLSIDE15, you’ll get 15% off your first cleaning.

Here’s what you get:

• Grimy, gunky bins? Gone.

• 99.9% of germs and bacteria? History.

• Lingering odors? Replaced with a fresh, clean scent.

• Dirty water? Hauled away safely, not left in your driveway.

Book your first cleaning here and enjoy fresh, spotless bins.