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Organics
Welcome to OrganicsLA! Every apple core and yard trimming in your green bin helps the City of Los Angeles fight climate change. We turn your organic waste into rich compost that enhances soil for growing more food! Let's put our waste to work.
Have you ever wondered what happens to your banana peels, coffee grounds, and grass clippings after they leave your curb? Through the City of Los Angeles' OrganicsLA program, we are making sure they don't go to waste. Instead of sending them to a landfill, we're putting them to work to help our environment thrive.
What exactly is "organic waste"?
Organic waste is simply anything that comes from a plant or animal that will break down naturally over time. For your green bin, this includes:
- Food scraps: Fruit peels, bones, meat, eggshells, and leftovers.
- Food-soiled paper: Greasy pizza boxes, paper napkins, and coffee filters.
- Yard trimmings: Grass clippings, leaves, flowers, and untreated wood.
Why is this program so important?
When organic waste is buried in a landfill, it gets trapped without oxygen and releases methane—a powerful greenhouse gas that heavily contributes to climate change. Right now, food waste makes up about 21% of all residential waste sent to landfills in California.
By placing your food scraps and yard trimmings in the green bin, you are helping us turn that waste into nutrient-rich compost. This compost goes directly to California farmers, helping them grow fresh, healthy food for our communities while significantly reducing harmful air pollution. It’s a simple daily habit that makes a massive impact on our city's future!
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Residential Organics Service
Learn what goes in your green bin, how to prevent odors, and how to care for your countertop kitchen pail.
Multi-Family Organics Service
Find our how your apartment or condo building can participate in organics recycling and easily access recycLA services.
Business Organics Service
Ensure your business complies with mandatory organics recycling laws, set up service, or apply for waivers.
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Food Waste Prevention
Preventing food waste is the crucial first step in the City of Los Angeles' organics program. Eating what you buy keeps good food out of the green bin, saving you money while reducing the greenhouse gases that drive climate change.
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Food Rescue and Recovery
Rescuing edible food is a vital part of LA's organics program. By connecting local businesses with charities, we ensure that perfectly good food feeds our neighbors in need instead of ending up in the green bin or worse, the landfill.
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Free Home Composting & Urban Gardening Workshops
Learn how to turn kitchen scraps and yard trimmings into a nutrient-rich soil amendment that you can use in your own garden to grow more fruits and vegetables.
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Free Mulch for Your Residential Project
LASAN is provides free quality mulch to residents at locations across the City. Bring your own supplies including shovels, containers, or a truck to load as much as you need for your residential project.
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Farmers Market Drop-Off
We've partnered with LA Compost to make it easy for you to drop off your food scraps at local farmers markets!
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Professor Green
Professor Green is an AI digital assistant fluent in 16 languages, here to answer all of your questions about organics, the green bin, food waste, and more!
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SORT LA
Have questions about what goes in each bin? Search any item in SORT LA to learn how and where to dispose of it. Make sure you try the waste-sorting game, too!
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Green Waste Processing
LASAN recycles commercial green waste such as tree trimmings, grass clippings, etc. and processes it into mulch, which is offered free to residents. The process also keeps this biodegradable organic material out of landfills.
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Professor Green's Fridge Flyer
Download this free fridge flyer for a simple, visual guide you can keep in your kitchen. It shows common food scraps and food-soiled paper, and includes contact info for Professor Green so you can quickly ask if you’re unsure of what goes in the green bin.