A commercial food waste bin takes food, and very little else: peels, coffee grounds, food left on plates, bread, dairy, and meat and bones. Packaging, paper towels, coffee cups, tea bags and anything plastic stay out, unless the plastic is a liner certified compostable to AS 4736. This post goes through the detail, because the items people get wrong are the ones that spoil a load.
What goes in
All food, cooked or raw:
- fruit and vegetable peels, cores and offcuts;
- coffee grounds and loose leaf tea;
- food left on plates;
- bread, rice, pasta and baked goods;
- dairy, including milk that has turned;
- meat, fish and bones.
In a home compost bin, meat, dairy and bones are often a problem. A commercial food waste collection is different: the food is handled at scale, so all of it can go in. That is why the caddy in the kitchen can take everything off the plate.
What stays out
- Packaging of any kind, including cardboard and food containers.
- Plastic, glass and cans.
- Paper towels, serviettes, baking paper and coffee filters.
- Coffee cups, pizza boxes, and "compostable" plates, bowls and cutlery.
- Tea bags (loose leaf tea is fine).
- Liners that are not certified compostable.
Some of these surprise people, so here is the reason. The NSW EPA has made clear that food organics bins should hold food only, plus certified compostable caddy liners. It says many fibre-based food contact items, such as paper towels, coffee cups and pizza boxes, may contain PFAS and other chemicals that do not break down in composting. Tea bags often contain plastic and staples. Compostable packaging is not accepted either, even when it carries a compostable label, because it is hard to tell apart from ordinary plastic and the EPA wants the compost to be free of contaminants.
Liners: lined or unlined?
The EPA says unlined caddies are the preferred way to collect food waste. If you do use a liner, it must be certified compostable to Australian Standard AS 4736, the standard for commercial composting. A small amount of newspaper or uncoated paper is also allowed to line a caddy. Bags that say "biodegradable" or "eco" without the certification are not the same thing and stay out. We explain the standard in what AS 4736 means for bin liners.
Why it matters so much
Your leftovers grow food again, but only when the load is clean. A load that is all food is easy to handle. A load with plastic, glass or treated paper in it is harder to handle and can be rejected. One busy shift where cups and wrappers go in the wrong bin can undo a lot of good work, which is why the signage and the staff briefing matter as much as the bin itself.
Setting the kitchen up so it works
- Put the caddy where the food waste happens: next to the prep bench and where plates are scraped, not at the back door.
- Put the general waste bin next to it, so packaging has an obvious place to go. People make the wrong choice when the right bin is further away.
- Put signage at eye level above the caddy, with pictures, not just words.
- Brief every shift in the first week, and new staff on their first day.
- Empty the caddy into the 120L bin at the end of each day, with the lid closed.
Our weekly food waste collection includes a kitchen caddy, certified compostable liners, signage and a 120L bin, collected weekly on a fixed day. Prices start at $45 a bin a week; see how our prices work.
Quick answers
Can coffee grounds go in? Yes, and they are one of the heaviest things in most bins.
Can bones and shells go in? Bones, yes. For shells or other unusual items in quantity, ask us first.
Can we put garden clippings in? A business food waste bin is for food. If you have garden waste too, ask us, but do not mix it in by default.
What about compostable cups? No. They go in general waste.
For more, see our questions page. If you are working out whether the NSW rules apply to your site, read the full guide to the NSW food waste rules.
Sources: Feedback Organic in and out list; NSW EPA, FOGO frequently asked questions. Checked 11 October 2026.