Food Scrap Program - High Country Conservation Center

FREE to Summit County residents

Collecting food scraps is an easy, important step in reducing our waste and carbon pollution. The compost generated from the process creates a valuable amendment to nourish our soil.

Get Started:

Enroll for the program and receive a code to access the drop-off food scrap bins at the Frisco, Breckenridge and Silverthorne Recycling Center. This code is required to open the bear-proof bins and will change periodically to reduce contamination. You will be notified via email regarding code and program updates.

Get a collection bucket
Free food collection buckets available to program participants. Request one at info@highcountryconservation.org.

Enroll Now

Questions? Call us at 970-668-5703.
View drop-off locations
See how the drop off food scrap bins work
Ask Eartha: Why should I collect my food scraps?

Food Waste

Now that you are collecting your food scraps, preventing wasted food in the first place is even more important! One ton of food waste prevented can save over 2.4 tons of CO2 equivalents. Do your part by checking out these Tips to Reduce Your Food Waste.

Accepted: All Food

This includes: fruit pits and peels, meat, bones, coffee grounds, spoiled food, and baked or processed foods.

Watch the video above to see the correct collecting in action.

Not Accepted

All paper, plastic and ‘compostable’ products are NOT accepted in the food scrap program. Even compostable bags, coffee filters, and tea bags are NOT accepted.

Why? Besides these products being lightweight which blow off the composting piles and cause litter, these materials simply do not breakdown in our arid mountain environment.

Contact Hayden at hayden@highcountryconservation.org if you are interested in establishing a drop-off food scrap location near you.

Download a Food Scrap Label

Buy Local Compost

You can purchase locally made compost from the Summit County Resource Allocation Park at the landfill near Keystone. The compost is created with food waste, biosolids and wood chips from mountain pine beetle kill – one solution to deal with a substantial amount of dead trees. This compost meets all STA Class III certifications.

Nutrient-rich compost starts at $19 a cubic yard. For more info about the High Country Compost product, please click here or contact (970) 468-9263 x0.

Compost Pricing

Application & Use