Martha's Cafe Composting and FAQ

Hello All,

On Monday, February 23, Martha's Cafe (MVR) started composting in the front and back-of house. If you are unfamiliar with what is compostable, have no fear! Just look at the examples on the board to figure out what to put in each compost, recycling, or "landfill" bin.

To clarify some concerns, here are some answers to frequently asked questions.

1. Are the toothpicks compostable?

The toothpick itself is compostable; however, the plastic "frilly" part of the toothpick is not compostable. To be pro-active, we highly recommend that you break off the "frilly" part of the toothpick and throw that part away. The rest of the toothpick can be composted.

2. I saw someone compost a FreshTake container, is that compostable?

All Cornell Dining FreshTake containers are in fact compostable. Although they may look like plastic, they are actually made from PLA, which stands for polylactic acid, or more simply made from corn. To make the process of sorting easier, all FreshTake stickers and salad dressing containers are also made out of PLA and can be composted all together.

To determine if an item is made from PLA, look at the bottom of the container for the word "PLAstic", which signifies that it is made from PLA and should be composted.

3. Are my utensils compostable?

As of now, the utensils at Cornell Dining and Retail outlets are not compostable and should be thrown away because they are made out of plastic. However, compostable utensils are found at Moosewood Cafe at Anabel Taylor and Mandibles Cafe in Mann Library, which are both locations that have composting facilities.

4. What happens if I throw non-compostable items in the compost bin?

Any contaminants in either the compost or recycling bin will result in "rejected" bags, which means that any plastic or metal found in any of the bins will cause the whole bag to be thrown away instead. Non-compostable and non-recyclable items should be thrown away. It is very important that you sort out your items properly so that each bag can be accepted.


We appreciate your cooperation with the composting program. Please remember to compost and recycle before throwing items in the "landfill"!

If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me through the comment box or email.

Stay green,

Jaimee