Currently, the Olathe Community Recycling Center is the only food waste drop-off location for this program.

City staff is currently evaluating potential locations for future drop-off kiosks.

Getting started with food waste composting is simple. Here's how:

1. Keep a small composting container on your kitchen counter, under the sink or in the refrigerator/freezer. For added convenience and cleanliness, biodegradable bags/liners can be used inside of the container.
2. Collect household food scraps in the container. Once full, the scraps can be transferred to a larger sealed bucket stored elsewhere (i.e., the garage, outside). Doing so will keep food waste stored indoors to a minimum preventing unwanted odors and reducing the number of trips to the drop-off site.
3. Empty your container(s) at a Food Waste drop-off site into once of the dedicated food waste bins.

The City of Olathe makes getting started easier by selling composting kits for Olathe residents! Kits can be purchased at the Olathe Community Recycling Center for $30. Cash is not accepted and the cost will be added directly to City of Olathe utility accounts. Composting kits include:

• One 3.5-gallon bucket with screw-on lid
• One 1.5-gallon countertop composting pail
• One roll of compostable pail liners

Purchasing a composting kit from the City is not necessary to utilize the food waste compost program.

Accepted Food Scraps

• Meat, fish and poultry
• Bones and shellfish
• Eggs and dairy products
• Fruits and vegetables
• Bread, dough, pasta and grains
• Coffee grounds, filters and tea bags

Prohibited Items

• Plastic bags
• Oil and grease
• Food packaging
• Liquids
• Coffee cups
• Pet waste

What happens to the food scraps once dropped off?

Missouri Organic Recycling services the majority of Olathe's food waste, collecting the scraps multiple times per week and composting the materials at their facility in Liberty, Mo. The small portion of food waste that is not processed by Missouri Organic is processed into the compost available to Olathe residents at the Olathe Community Recycling Center.

Can non-Olathe residents use this program?

Currently, the program is only available to Olathe residents. City staff is looking into the possibility of opening the program to all Johnson County residents in the future.

What are the environmental impacts of food waste disposal?

Allowing food scraps to enter landfills creates greenhouse gases. By composting food scraps, waste is diverted from landfills to create environmentally beneficial compost that helps lawns, gardens, flower beds, farms and soil, and reduces the carbon footprint.

What are the economic impacts of food waste disposal?

Often, when people begin to compost their food scraps, they realize how much food waste they are actually producing. This often leads to a shift in purchase and consumption habits, which in turn leads to cost savings. Reducing the amount of food scraps going to the landfill also means less residential trash collection, reducing the amount of wear and tear of trucks and further cost savings.

Does Olathe plan to offer curbside food waste composting?

There are no plans to offer curbside collection of food waste. There are many challenges to offering curbside service and would not be cost-effective at this time.