Green Bin Organics

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Green Bin Organics

Did you know that tissues, paper towels, napkins, and soiled paper plates and pizza boxes can go in the green bin? Residents can also purchase a backyard composter to decrease the amount of organic waste placed at the curb. These actions help make a difference in the City’s Green Directions Vaughan Community Sustainability and Environmental Master Plan and York Region’s Waste Management Master Plan called the SM4RT Living Plan.

Collection

Green bin waste is collected once a week on the scheduled collection day. Green bins should be placed at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before and no later than 7 a.m. on the day of collection. The time of collection could change without notice.

Place collectible waste materials at the curb for collection (on or beside the driveway). Do not place collectible materials on the road. Keep waste materials separate from your neighbours. Ensure waste is properly set out in the winter months. Organic waste bagged and tied securely, and placed inside the green bin.

Acceptable bins

A green bin provided by the City of Vaughan
A green bin obtained at retail outlets – ensure bins are identical to City bins
A large number of diapers can be placed in a clear bag used solely for diapers and placed on top of the green bin for collection
The total weight of one full container and its contents must not exceed 20.5 kilograms (45 pounds)
Option 1 – Line the kitchen container with a bag. Fill the lined kitchen container with organics. When full, tie the organic filled bag and transfer it into the unlined green bin. Place the securely latched green bin at the curb on your collection day.
Option 2 – Line the green bin with a large bag. Fill the unlined itchen container with organics. Transfer loose organic materials from the kitchen container into the lined green bin. Tie the green bin liner closed. Place the securely latched green bin at the curb on your collection day.

correct green bin fill image Incorrect green bin fill image

Unacceptable bins

regular garbage containers or bags
cardboard boxes or other like containers

What goes in the green bin?

All food and food scraps

Fruit and vegetable cores and peels
Meat and seafood bones
Egg shells
Tea bags and coffee grounds
Fats, oils, and grease (absorbed into paper towels, not flushed down the toilet)

Food-soiled paper and napkins

Tissues, paper towels and napkins
Soiled paper plates and pizza boxes
Small amounts of shredded paper

Other items

Diapers and feminine hygiene products
Hair and fur
Pet waste and kitty litter
Household plants and flowers

Use of compostable bags is preferred but plastic bags are accepted. Certified compostable bags will display a 'compostable' logo on the packaging. Paper bags are also compostable, but these do not require the compostable logo.

Some companies market their bags “biodegradable” for use in green bins, but this is not always the case. Biodegradable bags break down into smaller pieces of plastic, and don’t decompose. For this reason, compostable bags are preferred.

Due to the nature of some of the materials collected in the green bin (pet waste, diapers, sanitary products, etc.), the City requires all organics to be bagged.

Backyard composting

Backyard composting is the process of adding organic materials such as food waste to a composter to produce a soil conditioner that will improve soil and the plants growing in it. Backyard composting reduces waste set out curbside.