Community Composting Program

Compost circle with food waste and growing plant

You collect the food waste — Winton makes the compost

Turn your spoils into COMPOST!!!

Our community composting program allows participating members to collect food waste from their homes for composting at our facility. With conveniently located drop-off locations, our program will allow you to finally separate out your organic waste from your landfilled trash!

White compost bucket with green lid labeled 'Food + Compostables' next to a sign reading 'Winton Mfc. Compost Works' on a wooden background.

Think subscription service, but for composting.

How Does It Work?

Composting instructions showing a three-step process: 1. Collect food waste in a 5-gallon bucket. 2. Take filled buckets to a drop-off site in Wenatchee River Valley. 3. Empty bucket into Community Compost Cart.

Why Participate?

Normally, food waste sent to the landfill goes into anaerobic decomposition (without air) and produces methane, a harmful greenhouse gas. By diverting food waste and compostable items to Winton’s composting facility you are helping to reduce the production of methane gas.

Winton’s state-of-the-art facility instead uses aerobic composting technology to create high quality compost that delivers important microbes, nutrients, and water retention qualities for the health of your soils and plants.

Join our Community Composting Drop-Off Program today for just $60/year!

Simple & Convenient: Reduce waste with ease.
One-Time Starter Kit: Sign up includes one-time purchase of a durable bucket and a full year's supply of compostable bags.


Buy Bags Online

Pickup at Winton MFG or Wenatchee Chamber of Commerce

Purchase at these Local Stores

  • Sage Mtn. Natural Foods Market 11685 US Highway 2, Leavenworth, WA 98826

  • Loves Me Flowers -101 Cottage Ave Ste F, Cashmere, WA 98815

Sign up for yearly plan here ($60/yr) + one time purchase of program supplies (bucket and years’ worth of bags)

Various compostable items including banana peels, pasta leftovers, cheese, avocado with pit, chicken bones, used tea bags, citrus peels, eggshells, nori seaweed, pizza box, and a bucket labeled 'Food + Compostables' on a green background.

What’s Accepted?

If you can eat it, it can go into your Community Composting bucket!

    • Meat & poultry

    • Dairy products

    • Fats

    • Fruit

    • Vegetables

    • Fish & shellfish

    • Egg shells

    • Coffee grounds

    • Tea bags

    • Yard Waste

    • Plastic, Glass, Metal, Trash, Liquids

    • Plastic bags

    • Cartons

    • Waxed cardboard

    • Pet or human waste

    • Black plastic bags

Find Your Community Compost Drop Off Site

    • Winton MFG Compost Works 17400 Winton Rd, Leavenworth

    • The Grunewald Guild 19003 River Rd, Leavenworth

    • The Plain Pantry 1247 Chapel Dr, Leavenworth

    • City Hall/Library 700 Highway 2

    • Recycling Center 216 14th St. Available during regular operating hours

    • Wenatchee River Institute 347 Division St

    • Sage Natural Foods 347 Division St

    • Old Osborn School 225 Central St

    • Alpine Fitness 10090 Main St, Suite F

    • Cashmere Public Works 200 Railroad Ave

    • Sunnyslope Church 3330 School St

    • Wenatchee Valley College 1521 9th St

    • Grace Lutheran Church 1408 Washington St

    • East Wenatchee City Hall 271 9th St NE

    • Celebration Lutheran Church 801 8th St NE

    • Columbia Grove Church 19 Mcelmurry Ln NE

Winton is Wildlife Wise

Living and operating in an area with high levels of wildlife means taking extra steps to ensure that composting remains safe for both our communities and local wildlife.

We follow Bearwise solutions to prevent attracting wildlife

  • Our Kodiak Product Carts are certified by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC).

    Interagency Grizzly Bear Committee (IGBC) - ID, MT, WY, WA

    Bins are double walled and have an automatic locking system.

    Kodiak Bear Bins

  • When a bear touches the electric fence wire that surrounds the composting pad, electricity instantly travels from the wire through the bear, into the earth to the grounding rod, and then back to the energizer, completing the circuit. The bear gets a shocking lesson and quickly learns that our area is not a good place to get rewarded with food.

    Bearwise Info

  • Our composting process uses Gore Covers to trap the smells from the composting process. Minimizing the odors that may attract bears to our composting facility.