Compostable Items

Compost Queen is a local, large scale backyard-style composter. Compost Queen does NOT work with an industrial facility and therefore cannot accept all kinds of compostable items.

Compost Queen composts all food scraps collected at a local farm location in Fort Collins. This is done naturally and organically in an outdoor facility, without the addition of heat or chemicals, as done in most industrial facilities. We believe that this produces the best, most natural food scrap compost for our customers. All customers receive one 20 pound bag of compost each May. 

Please see the list below for reference on what things Compost Queen can accept and does not accept. If you ever have any questions on what Compost Queen can accept, please contact us!

Compostable Items

All the following items are accepted by Compost Queen

  • Any/All fruits and vegetables
  • Beans, lentils, etc.
  • Spent coffee grounds and used non-bleached coffee filters (no fresh coffee)
  • Naturally made used tea bags (no synthetic made bags or anything with plastics)
  • Stale/moldy bread, pasta, rice, crackers, popcorn, pretzels, cereals, etc.
  • Pet hair, dander, dust (not human)
  • Pet food
  • Cut flowers
  • Egg shells (not whole eggs)
  • Nuts/shells of nuts
  • Hay/straw
  • Sawdust
  • Leaves
  • Fireplace ashes – from wood & paper fires only, no charcoal
  • Weeds, other than bindweed
  • If you are not sure, then just ask!

Non-Compostable Items

Compost Queen is NOT an industrial composting facility, which means we CANNOT accept the following items:

  • Animal products – meat, fats, bones, etc.
  • Dairy – Milk, eggs, yogurt, cheese, etc.
  • Oils – Any frying or cooking oils
  • Paper products – napkins, paper towels, tissues, paper bags, shredded paper, etc. – even if it says compostable!
  • Packaging, utensils, plates, bowls, to-go containers, etc. – even if it says compostable!
  • Bindweed 
  • Coffee pods for coffee machines – even if it says it’s compostable!
  • Animal droppings