Please Select an Option
Brown Bin
Brown Bin = Compost Bin
What can I put in my brown bin?
All cooked and raw food, including
- bread, pasta, rice
- meat, fish, poultry, bones
- fruit, vegetables
- eggs, cheese, salads
- tea bags, coffee grounds
- leftover food
- out-of-date food
Always remove food from packaging before placing in the brown bin
Garden waste, including
- grass cuttings
- hedge cuttings
- leaves, mosses
- dead plants and flower
Food-soiled cardboard (for example, takeaway pizza boxes)
Paper napkins, paper towels
Tissues
Paper cups
Do not place plastic bags or food packaging in the brown bin. Plastic can take up to 500 years to decompose – do not put plastic in your brown bin.
Biodegradable and compostable are not the same thing. Biodegradable plastic bags cannot be placed in the brown bin. (Biodegradable plastic bags should be used for grey bin waste as they will degrade much faster in the landfill than other plastic bags).
If you are unsure of what goes into your bin, please read our waste publications here, call our helpline on 091 536400 or email environment@galwaycity.ie .
What happens to brown bin waste?
Brown bin waste is composted.
The contents of all brown bins in Galway City are taken to the Carrowbrowne composting facility.
Over a 10-12 week period, the brown bin waste breaks down into compost.
This compost is currently used to cover the old landfill site at Carrowbrowne.
For more information on composting, click here.