Almost all of the items that are on your tray when you dine-in at the Deli will NOT end up in the landfill. We’ve worked hard over the past several years to swap out products so that the majority of what’s on your tray can go into the compost bin. Other items are washable and reusable and can be left in bus tubs or are meant for the recycling bin. A small amount of items go to the landfill–and we’re working hard on finding alternatives to these items so that we can get to ZERO WASTE!
We received a Waste Reduction Sponsorship in 2026 from the Washtenaw County Water Resources Materials Management Division to help us purchase 3 compartment bins. These bins now allow us to collect compost in all our guest areas!
Washtenaw County offers Waste Reduction Sponsorships to support impactful projects like this one that advance their county-wide materials management goals. Our project pairs essential infrastructure with comprehensive education to recover food scraps and certified compostable products for composting.
As Washtenaw County develops its Materials Management Plan, which is expected to have many goals around food waste reduction and composting, this project will serve as a model. This project demonstrates best practices for public composting within the restaurant sector. The insights gained from this project will provide key takeaways for implementing composting more broadly across the restaurant sector in our County.
These items go into the compost bin
- ToGo cups and lids (Coffee and Soda)
- ToGo knives, spoons & forks
- ToGo plates 6” and 10”
- ZingSheets (basket liners)
- Dessert Clamshell containers
- Straws
- Salad/dog boxes
- Side salad containers (but not the lids, see below)
- Brown sandwich wrappers and tape
- Napkins
- Food scraps
- Newsletters
- Pastry pockets
- Sandwich Line ticket that comes tucked into the order
These items go into the recycle bin
- Bottles/cans
- Soup bowls & lids
- Plastic cold brew, lemonade containers
- Everybody Water boxed water containers
These items go into the bus tubs
- Glasses
- Mugs
- Cups
- Baskets
- Plates
These items go into the landfill bin
- Plastic cookie and brownie wrappers
- Thermal receipts from our register
- Sugar packet wrappings
- Butter packets
- Plastic pickle bags and twist ties
- Potato chip bags
- Mayo, mustard, hot sauce, relish packets
- Side salad container lids (the sticker is not compostable)