Frequently Asked Questions

General business hours at Beachwood City Hall are Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Please call the Mayor’s Office at 216-292-1901 or  send an email to schedule an appointment. Please provide us with your contact information and the reason for the meeting request. The more information you provide, the better we will be able to serve you.

The Police Department offers fingerprints for city residents only by calling Records at 216-464-2343 to schedule an appointment. 

Ordinance 618.07 states "No person shall keep or harbor with the City any dog which by barking, biting, howling, or in any way or manner injures or disturbs quiet of any other person, or which destroys or damages any other person's lawn, tree, shrub, plant, building or other property." Should you have a neighbor that has a dog that is in violation of any of the above, contact the Beachwood Police Department at 216-464-1234.

Midnight, as long as there are no complaints.

Parking is not allowed on Beachwood streets between 3:00 am and 6:00 am. or during Snow Bans. If you have an overnight visitor or other special circumstance, contact the Police Department to request an exception or submit the online request.

The Police Department offers the ability to download most Incident and crash reports and use the search function to find reports. If you cannot find the report or have other questions, please contact the Police Records Section at 216-464-2343, Monday through Friday, 8 AM to 4 PM or send an e-mail to policerecords@beachwoodohio.com

The Cuyahoga County Appraisal Department is responsible for discovering, listing, and valuing properties. Tax amounts are based upon this appraisal and may include school levies, assessments, and other public entity levies. Information can be accessed online or by phone at 216-443-7010.

• Permit number
• Address of work
• Suite number
• Type of inspection

For a single-family property, the grass shall not exceed eight (8) inches. Weed growth on any parcel in the City shall not exceed twelve (12) inches.

Overnight parking of recreational vehicles is prohibited in residential UA1 and UA2 zoning districts. See Beachwood Codified Ordinance Section 1113.02 Accessory Uses. 

Home occupations are permitted for professional and business offices where each person employed in such business or profession actually resides at the residence and where all employees are members of a family as defined in Section 1101.22. Such business or professional office shall not have any signage. No residence may be used as a store, trade or business for the sale or storage of any merchandise or other property declared unlawful by the laws of the United States, the State and/or the City. The sale of personal furniture and furnishings owned and used by the occupants may be sold as is otherwise regulated by City ordinance. Type A Day Care is not permitted in a single-family dwelling districts.

Detached garages are required to appear and obtain approval of the Architectural Review Board. A building permit is required for a detached garage. Additional permits may be required for other work if performed, such as but not limited to driveway, electric wiring and HVAC . Detached garages are required to be a minimum of 5 feet from the rear yard lot line, side yard set backs are based on the lot frontage and must comply with Beachwood Codified Ordinance Section 1113.05. Side yards are required in Single-Family House Districts (See BCO Section 1113.05). The total garage floor area for any dwelling shall not exceed 1,050 square feet of gross floor area. Roofs of secondary or appurtenant structures shall be equipped with gutters and downspouts connected to a public storm sewer. Rain barrel installation(s) conforming to Section 1355.09(b) and Section 1375.09(b) may be utilized. However, if the roof area served by a special downspout does not exceed 300 square feet, measured horizontally, and if the drainage does not, in the opinion of the Building Commissioner, cause excessive erosion or water damage or does not create a nuisance on public or private property, this requirement shall be waived. If electric is installed to a detached garage the installation must comply with the National Electric Code.

Other than ornamental, fences are restricted to side and rear yards. See Beachwood Codified Ordinance Section 1146.02.

We flush all city hydrants twice a year, once in the spring and again in the fall. We make every effort to make sure residents are informed of the dates of flushing. The dates will be posted on our website, in the Sun Press, in the Beachwood Buzz, on Twitter and Facebook and “Hydrant Flushing This Week” signs will be posted throughout the city.

If you have any additional questions regarding hydrant flushing, please contact Beachwood Fire Department Administration at 216-292-1965. Click link for current dates.

We recommend visiting the car seat fitting station at the UH Main Campus in the Rainbow Parking Garage. Located at 2021 Adelbert Road, Cleveland. The hours are Monday-Friday from 10 AM-4 PM by appointment only. Call 216-983-1110 to schedule an appointment.

Unfortunately, Cuyahoga County has discontinued this program and we are no longer able to accept mercury items at the Fire Department. If you have questions on disposal of these items, you may call the Cuyahoga County Solid Waste District at 216-443-3749.

Yes, there is a resident and non-resident rate for most programs and activities. Many of our special events are also open to the general public. Beachwood Family Aquatic Center memberships and Barkwood memberships are available for residents only. 

Beachwood is offering a new online registration process! Everyone must submit their camper information form online through our website prior to registering. Camp families can then register online like they would for any other program or activity. Select time periods and deadlines apply for resident and non-resident registration. See our Summer Camp webpage below for a comprehensive overview of the process. 

Beachwood residents and Beachwood business employees are eligible for membership. For more details, visit the webpage below. 

A Beachwood Family Aquatic Center membership can be bought either at Beachwood City Hall or at the Family Aquatic Center once it has opened. Two forms of ID are required at time of purchase: a current utility bill and a drivers license. Rates and membership information are posted near the beginning of each calendar year. For detailed information, please see the Beachwood Family Aquatic Center webpage.

Barkwood is the City of Beachwood's one-of-a-kind turf dog park! It is located at City Park East on Richmond Road between Shaker Blvd. eastbound and westbound. It is open from 7:00 AM - 9:00 PM daily. Barkwood is available to Beachwood residents and their dogs via annual registration and keyfob. Visit our webpage for a registration packet, rules and more.

Free door-to-door wheelchair lift equipped van service is available for Beachwood residents 60 years and older and those with disabilities living in an independent living setting. For more information, visit the link below.

Our Recreation Guide features three editions per year; Spring/Summer, Fall and Winter. The latest edition is always available at BeachwoodRec.com. Residents will receive a physical copy by mail. If you did not receive your copy, extras are available at City Hall and the Community Center.

Beachwood residents, Beachwood businesses and community groups are able to rent Community Center rooms for meetings, functions, and events. Each of the center's six rooms may be rented individually or combined to form a larger room. Rooms may be combined to comfortably seat 150 with tables or up to 250 lecture style with chairs only. Visit the link below for additional rental information and rates.

Yes. Beachwood City Park, which is located between the Shaker Boulevard medians off of Richmond Road. 

Beachwood City Park West includes 1.6 miles of 8-foot wide multi-purpose trails allowing for bicycling, walking, running, and skating. The park also features 6-foot wide gravel trails for hiking, a sledding hill, two parking areas with 18 parking spaces each, and an open-air shelter with room for 40 to 50 people, including a unisex bathroom and a drinking fountain. 

Beachwood City Park East is highlighted by a state-of-the-art outdoor Fitness Park, a mile of paved trails, benches, and a parking area located on Shaker Boulevard. It is also know as the home of Barkwood Dog Park, the only 100% synthetic turf dog park in Ohio. 

There are a variety of ways to follow us! The latest information is always available at BeachwoodRec.com. You can follow us on Facebook (@BeachwoodOHRec) or sign up for our monthly email newsletter which is specific to recreational opportunities and special events. You'll also notice recreation pages in each edition of the Beachwood Buzz magazine. 

Note: The publication formerly known as the Upper Classmen is now included within the Recreation Guide. 

You can find online registration by going to BeachwoodRec.com and selecting the Online Registration button or by typing beachwoodohio.com/registration into your address bar. You'll agree to the policies and then be redirected to Beachwood's ActivityReg page where you can login to an existing account. If you're a first time user and need an account with us, please call 216-292-1970 and we'll set one up for you. 

The Beachwood Arts Council is an all-volunteer, nonprofit organization that has supported the arts in Northeast Ohio since 1964. Their efforts encourage the development and appreciation of the visual and performing arts and provide access to quality works of art that reflect the diverse cultures of our region. Email the Beachwood Arts Council at info@beachwoodartscouncil.org or visit their website below. 

Refund requests are subject to restrictions and must be submitted for approval on a case-by-case basis. Please review the link below.

Contact the Cuyahoga County Fiscal Officer’s Office, by calling 216-443-7010 or visiting online at Fiscal Officer , with any property tax bill questions you may have.

Beachwood taxes are administered by the Regional Income Tax Agency ( R.I.T.A.). The current income tax rate is 2.0%. Questions about income taxes should be directed to R.I.T.A at 1-800-860-7482 or visit

Beachwood taxes are administered by the Regional Income Tax Agency( R.I.T.A.). The current income tax rate is 2.0%. Questions about income taxes should be directed to R.I.T.A at 1-800-860-7482 or visit

Yes, currently there is a Job Creation Incentive Grant Program for businesses in the City of Beachwood. For more information contact James Heller at 216-292-1915.

The Public Works Department’s regular working hours are Monday through Friday between 7:30AM and 3:30PM.  Beachwood City Ordinance #660.21 states that no person shall:

•Place rubbish for collection prior to 6:00PM. on the evening preceding the day scheduled by the Director of Public Works for rubbish collection or after 7:30AM. the day of your rubbish collection.

•Allow empty containers or other uncollected rubbish items to remain at the place of collection after 9AM. of the day following the day scheduled by the Director of Public Works.

Whoever violates any of the provisions of this section is guilty of a misdemeanor of the fourth degree. Punishment shall be as provided in Section 698.02.

When the Public Works Department is closed on holidays, except on Thanksgiving, rubbish will be delayed one day after the respective holiday that week only. For example, if a holiday falls on a Monday, Monday’s collection will be Tuesday, Tuesday’s collection Wednesday, and so on. Thanksgiving Day’s collection will be picked up on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

The Public Works Department recognizes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day President’s Day, Memorial Day,  Independence Day, Labor Day Thanksgiving Day, Day After Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Call the Public Works Department at 216-292-1922 to request a special pick up. Calls made before 12:00PM can usually be picked up the day of the request.

When the Public Works Department is closed on holidays, except on Thanksgiving, rubbish will be delayed one day after the respective holiday that week only. For example, if a holiday falls on a Monday, Monday’s collection will be Tuesday, Tuesday’s collection Wednesday, and so on. Thanksgiving Day’s collection will be picked up on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving.

The Public Works Department recognizes the following holidays: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day President’s Day, Memorial Day,  Independence Day, Labor Day Thanksgiving Day (will be picked up on Wednesday), Day After Thanksgiving, and Christmas Day.

Only these items should be placed in the green recycling carts for curbside pick up:

Paper and Boxes:
Newspapers and inserts
Magazines and catalogs
Junk mail and envelopes (window envelopes are okay)
Postcards, greeting cards, coupon packets
Phone books
Paper grocery bags
Cereal and dry food boxes, shoe boxes, toothpaste or OTC medicine boxes
Paper tubes, tissue boxes (toilet paper, paper towels)
Office paper, stationery, business cards, any color
Hard (cover removed) or soft cover books
Wrapping paper (including the cardboard tube)
cardboard (flattened)
Paper shopping bags
Clean pizza boxes (free of excess food and grease)
Paper egg cartons

Glass:
Glass food bottles and jars (clear, green and brown)

Bottles and jugs need to be emptied and rinsed
Cans:

Aluminum and Steel food cans

Cans need to be emptied and rinsed
Plastic bottles and Jugs:
Water and soda bottles

Shampoo bottles

Milk, water and juice jugs

Laundry detergent jugs and bleach bottles.

Bottles and jugs should be emptied and rinsed and the cap replaced.

Cartons:
Milk, juice, soup and broth and wine cartons.

Cartons should be emptied and rinsed and the cap replaced.

THE CITY DOES NOT ACCEPT: Any plastic item not listed above, Wax Coated Boxes, Motor Oil*, Paint, Tires*, Automotive Parts, Outside Plastic Furniture Vinyl Siding, Detergent Boxes, Clothes Hangers, Aerosol Cans, Window Glass, Drinking Glasses, Light Bulbs, Metal Cookware, PVC Piping, Pallets, Plastic Toys, Wood, Aluminum Siding .

*These items can be recycled at the Public Works Department

The Public Works Works Department located at 23355 Mercantile Rd, West Driveway (left driveway when facing the front of the building) inside the gate to the right. There is a sign over the overhead door. Pick up the phone next to the door for assistance.  Hours are Monday- Friday between 7:30AM and 3:30PM.

There is a drop off for recyclables at the Community Center, 25225 Fairmount Blvd. There is access to this container 7 days per week 24 hours per day for residents only.

Only these items should be placed in the drop off container:

These items are considered Hazardous Materials. Many of these are dangerous if placed in your regular rubbish, and cannot go to a landfill. In order to accommodate these requests, the Beachwood Public Works Department offers Household Hazardous Materials drop offs year round. Items may be brought to the Public Works Center, 23355 Mercantile Rd, Monday-Friday between 7:30AM and 3:30 PM.

Monday through Friday, 7:30AM to 3:30PM except holidays. Call 216-292-1922 if you have questions. The Public Works Department recognizes the following official holidays:

•New Year's Day

•Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

•President's Day

•Memorial Day

•Independence Day

•Labor Day

•Thanksgiving Day/Day After Thanksgiving

•Christmas Day

23355 Mercantile Rd, Beachwood, Ohio 44122. The main phone number is 216- 292-1922.

If a tree has fallen on your property, contact a tree service company. If a tree has fallen on city property, i.e. your tree lawn, call the Public Works Department at 216-292-1922.

If there are skunks, groundhogs or rats outside of your home, contact the Public Works Department at 216-292-1922.

Call the Public Works Department at 216-292-1922.

No person shall engage in construction  or other activities, such as hammering, pounding, grinding or grading, so as to create objectionable or unreasonable noise or a disturbance to neighbors or other residents in the City, between the hours  of 7:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. Monday through Friday and 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 a.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and official holidays.  In case of an emergency, such as a utility outage, significant hardship, or to provide for safe and efficient flow of motor vehicle traffic, the Safety Director may authorize work during prohibited hours

Code RED is our free emergency notification service by which city officials can notify residents and businesses by phone, cell phone, text message or email about time-sensitive emergency situations or important community alerts. Sign up for it by visiting https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFFD1901E551.

Sign up online by visiting https://public.coderedweb.com/CNE/en-US/BFFD1901E551

The Code Red Database does use information received from public databases including regional phonebooks. Cellphones and Unlisted numbers may not be available. Visit this page for an online Code RED registration form. If you do not have access to the internet at home, please consider using a computer at the Beachwood Library, ask a friend or family member for assistance or call the city at 216-292-1970. It is our intention to include every residence and business in our city.

Any message regarding the safety or welfare of our city would be disseminated using the Code RED system. Examples would include severe weather warnings and updates, hazardous traffic or road conditions and any other situation that could impact your safety, property or welfare.

After you submit the initial registration form, you may start the registration process again and submit more numbers for the same address.

Code RED is a service of Network Emergency Communications (ECN) which takes security and privacy concerns very seriously and does not sell trade, lease or loan any data about clients to any third party.

A Code RED Emergency message will have a caller ID of 866-419-5000. A Code RED General message will have a caller ID 855-969-4636. If you have signed up for automated weather warnings, those will come from the caller ID 800-566-9780. Code RED text messages will be sent from 769-93. We suggest you program these numbers in your cell phone as a “new contact” and use “Code RED Emergency,” “Code RED General,” and "Code RED Weather" as the contact names.

Listen carefully to the entire message. It will be brief and at the end of the message, you will have the option to repeat the message by pressing any key. Follow the instructions given. Do not hang up until you have heard the entire message or you might miss vital information. Do not call 911 for further information unless directed to do so or if you need immediate aid from the Police or Fire and Rescue Department.

1.Make sure you have at least one working corded telephone – and be sure to turn on the ringer.
2.The Code RED sign-up form gives you the option of filling in both a Primary Phone number and an alternate phone number. You can fill in the Alternate Phone number with another contact number such as your cell phone number or work number. Entering an alternate phone number will cause BOTH your primary and alternate phone numbers to be called.

Yes, Code RED will leave a message on a machine or on voice mail.

If the line is busy, Code RED will try two more times to connect.

1. If you have moved or changed your phone number and have not registered your new contact information, Code RED may not be able to contact you.
2. If you have only cordless phones in your residence, the power is out and you have not registered an alternate phone number, Code RED will not be able to contact you.
3. If your line is busy for an extended period and your calls do not forward to voice mail or an answering machine in a busy condition, after three tries Code RED will stop calling your number. We will receive a report of undelivered calls and can instruct Code RED to begin another round of calls to busy numbers. It’s best to have an alternate phone number in the calling database for these situations.
4. If you have privacy manager on your main phone service, Code RED will not be able to contact you unless you have registered an alternate number that will accept the call.

Wildlife professionals locate and dart deer from vehicles on public roadways and at bait stations on volunteer properties within the Study Area. The deer are tracked until they are unconscious (typically just a few minutes) and then transported to a surgical site where a veterinarian performs ovariectomies and administers long-acting antibiotics and pain relievers.  

All sterilized deer are fitted with state-mandated numbered ear tags. Treated deer are then returned to a safe location near the area where they were found and monitored until they recover. The entire process, from initial darting to release, takes approximately 90 to 120 minutes per deer. 

PLEASE NOTE: Once darted, a deer may run up to 100 yards before the tranquilizer sedates the animal. While it is unlikely that a tranquilized deer will choose your yard in which to fall asleep, if this happens, the recovery team will carefully remove the sedated deer from your property and transport it to the surgical site. 

Beachwood Police Officers will be assigned with wildlife professionals during the sterilization program. The officers will be available to assist with any issues that may arise. 

Trained marksmen, under the direction of the City of Beachwood Police Department, conduct sharpshooting on public lands and on private property when allowed by property owners and where deer can be harvested safely and humanely. The marksmen receive additional training in the Cleveland Metroparks to simulate the environment in which they will be working. “Do Not Enter – Deer Management Area” signs where deer management operations occur and radio contact with Beachwood officers on patrol prevent citizens from wandering into the operational area. In the event of an unauthorized entry into the area, no shots are fired and individuals are asked to leave. Culled deer are transported to a processor for dressing and preparation for donation to a local food bank.

Based on information obtained by resident surveys and the results from our deer count studies, there is an overabundance of deer in our city. Suburban areas, provide high-quality, high calorie and easily accessible foods in the form of gardens, ornamental plantings, and fertilized lawns, while nearby woodlands offer daytime refuge. The richness of plant species is higher in residential areas than in wooded habitats. Suburban areas are free of hunting and natural predation. Deer have a high reproductive potential and populations increase quickly.

• There are negative impacts associated with an overabundance of or excessive browsing by deer:
  • Native plant and wildlife populations, habitat quality, and ecosystem processes suffer.
  • There is a decline in biodiversity (the number and variety of species of living organisms) in natural areas and a reduction in the ability of native plants to survive and reproduce. Repeated removal of stems, leaves, and flowering parts of plants reduces the height, vigor and reproduction of plants.
  • There are negative impacts to wildlife that needs woodland understory for forage, nesting, and cover. Significant reduction in vegetation that birds use for foraging, escaping predators and nesting also occurs.
  • Damage to landscape and garden vegetation occurs from deer browsing and antler rubbing.
  • Individual deer health declines with reduction in the availability of forage.
  • The spread of disease in both deer (e.g., chronic wasting disease) and humans (e.g., Lyme disease) increases.  Visit the Ohio Department of Health website for more information.  

The deer meat is donated to Cleveland-area food banks.

Reproductive agents for wildlife are not commercially available and are currently classified as experimental and are produced by research facilities. Also, the free-ranging nature of deer makes it difficult to deliver contraceptives to them. Relocation of deer is not allowed by ODNR. This technique requires the use of traps and/or remote chemical immobilization techniques and has been demonstrated to be impractical and stressful to the deer and may result in high post-release mortality rate of up to 85%. These programs also require release sites that are capable of receiving deer.  

Unpalatable landscape plantings and deer repellants are unreliable and short-term strategies. Deer are likely to ignore either the taste or odor repellents in times of food scarcity and overpopulation. Some repellents lose their effectiveness in rain and require reapplication. Long term approaches are needed to maintain deer populations at levels that are healthy for both deer and human. 

• Deer look for easy sources of food. To protect your garden, the Division of Wildlife suggests that you install a 3-4 foot barrier (vinyl, hardware cloth, etc.) with the first foot of the barrier underground to keep small critters out like raccoons, skunks, and groundhogs. On the corners of the garden, install posts that reach seven feet off the ground. Then run a single wire around the garden 7 feet off the ground. Periodically hang ribbon (or better yet aluminum pie pans to scare off the birds) to act as a visual deterrent to the deer. Deer have bad depth perception and they will not jump between the hard fence and the top wire.
• Various sprays deter deer from eating plants. Cayenne pepper can also be used by spraying plants with water and then generously dusting them with the pepper. The hotter you make the plant, the less likely the deer will eat it.
• Choose plants that tend to be less palatable. Keep in mind that if a deer is hungry enough, there is no plant that it “will never eat.”

If the techniques mentioned above are not working, contact the Division of Wildlife at 330-644-2293. Oftentimes, they can identify the reason over the phone as to why the technique is not working and can give site-specific advice to further help alleviate the deer problems on your property 

For additional information, visit the Ohio Division of Wildlife website.

The procurement of all supplies, materials, equipment, and services shall be made in accordance with applicable Federal, State, and local statures and/or regulations.

All City employees involved in the procurement of goods and/or services should abide by the City’s Employment Policy Code of Ethic, rules and regulations of the Ohio Ethics Commission, the Ohio Revised Code, Federal Statutes, and any Grant requirements regarding any potential conflicts of interest in the expenditure of public monies.

The City of Beachwood’s Codified Ordinance 121.09 states contracts for expenditures of twenty-five thousand ($25,000) or more, but less than fifty thousand dollars are not required to be competitively bid, but may be awarded, upon the recommendation of the Mayor and/or Department Director, and by ordinance of Council. It also states competitive bids are to be obtained for purchases in excess of $50,000 unless the Ohio Revised Code and City Code provides for an alternative method such as State Contracts; and/or unless specifically waived by City Council.  

The City of Beachwood supports diversity and inclusion in its procurement awards, and encourages the utilization of Minority and Women’s Business Enterprises as vendors and as prime and subcontractors.   

It’s easy! Complete the appropriate form and email it to Purchasing@beachwoodohio.com

Once!  When you’re in…you’re in.

No. The form simply introduces the City to your business. We will do our best to reach out to you if the City desires to obtain a product or service you provide. However, we must still follow the guidelines shown in the City’s procurement policy.  

No. We’d still like to hear from you. Please email us your completed W-9 along with a brief description of the products and/or services you provide to be kept on file should the need arise.  

• Keep your kitchen clean! Folks who divert their food scraps from their garbage can to our compost bins keep a cleaner and less smelly kitchen. Members have reported taking out their garbage less and generating less food waste in the long term.  
• It's all about the soil! Compost can support thousands upon thousands of microorganisms found in the soil. It supports the organisms and can hold 5x's its weight in water. When applied to tree lawns, yards, and neighborhoods, it can help offset rainwater runoff and clean our waters from 65%-90% of pollutants before making it to the wastewater treatment plants. 
• Support local community members! Rust Belt Riders was founded by Rust Belt residents to support our community and make healthy soil. RBR founders knew the importance that composting has in and on our environment and our economy. For every composting facility there are 4x's as many jobs as landfills. By composting you are helping regenerate the Rust Belt and repurpose food scraps into soil building compost!  
• Environmental impact! By composting your food scraps, rather than putting them in the trash, or down the garbage disposal, you prevent methane from entering the atmosphere. Food scraps that are not composted properly and find their way to the landfill generate methane. Methane, a greenhouse gas 28-26 times more potent than carbon, accelerates climate change. 

1. Sign Up for Free Online: Use Beachwood's Rust Belt Riders registration form found here.
2. Collect Food Scraps at Home: Scraps should be collected in a 5-gallon bucket with a lid. All food scraps accepted. For a detailed list, visit rustbeltriders.com/whatcanicompost.
3. Bring Food Scraps to the Drop-Off Bins: Simply bring food scraps to our city drop-off bins co-located with the recycling bins near the Beachwood Community Center. It is recommended that your deposit your food scraps weekly.
4. Unlock Bin with Your Code: Use the unique code received during registration to unlock the drop-off bin.
5. Dump Food Scraps into the Bin and Re-Lock: Deposit your food scraps inside and securely lock the bin for the next participant to use.

It's FREE! Simply sign up online to gain access.

From raw vegetables, to cooked foods, citrus to coffee grounds, bones, meat, dairy, raw vegetables, to cooked fruits, ALL food scraps can be accepted along with BPI certified compostable products. The Betterbin app is recommended as a database of compostable items.

Human waste: including diapers, used tissues, dyed cardboard, pizza boxes, pet food, q-tips, rubber bands and twist-ties, staples (some tea bags use them!), plastic wrap, junk mail, pet waste, and any non-BPI certified compostable products (if it doesn’t have ‘BPI certified’ on it- it’s not!).

A 5-gallon bucket with a lid is recommended. You should plan on depositing your scraps into the community collections bins once per week. You can line your bucket with a paper bag or a BPI certified compostable bag. Or put your food scraps directly into the bin itself! No bag required. DO NOT use plastic bags.

Visit their website at rustbeltriders.com!