- The first composting collection will take place in January 2019
- You will soon receive an information booklet in the mail containing a wide range of information to help you with this new habit
- If you are already composting at home, don't store your brown bin too far away! It will be useful in disposing of foods that are more difficult to compost at home.
- The brown bins are equipped with a locking system
Compostable materials must be placed in the designated brown bin that has been distributed to you. There is no maximum limit on the number of items or volume of compostable materials put out on the street for collection.
- A biodegradable paper bag of a weight not exceeding 25 kg when filled
- A container identified with a "V", weighing not more than 25 kg when filled
- Any other container approved by the Municipality and the contractor
I already compost at home. How can the brown bin be useful for me?
If you're already composting table scraps and green waste at home, municipal compost collection will fill in some gaps. The materials marked with an asterisk(*) on the list below can be a problem for home composters, whether you have an outdoor setup or a vermicomposter. So you can choose to just keep on composting at home and use your brown bin as an environmentally friendly way to get rid of the materials your system can't handle. Municipal collection can also come in handy when you have an unusual amount of yard and green waste to deal with.
What do I do with table scraps and other household compostables?
Collect your household compostables in a specially designed kitchen catcher (available at hardware or big-box stores), or any plastic or metal container of your choice. Empty it regularly into your brown bin. To make things easier and more hygienic, you can line your kitchen catcher with small compostable paper bags, or your brown bin with large compostable paper bags. Paper bags can be purchased, or you can use folded newspaper.
Can I use plastic bags?
Sorry-all plastic bags are banned from your brown bin, even those marked biodegradable or compostable. This reduces program costs. However, paper or waxed bags designed for this purpose are accepted.
What goes in the brown bin?
Raw, cooked or spoiled food
- Coffee and coffee filters, tea and teabags*
- Condiments*
- Cookies, candles and desserts*
- Dairy products*
- Eggs and eggshells
- Fish and fishbones
- Fruits and vegetables*
- Herbs and spices
- Meat, poultry, and bones *
- Nuts and shells
- Pasta,bread,grains and rice
- Pet food
- Seafood and seashells*
- Vegetable fats and salad dressings*
Soiled paper and cardboard
- Paper handkerchiefs, towels and napkins*
- Paper tablecloths, plates, cupts, etc.*
- Soiled cardboard food containers and packaging (e.g., pizza boxes)*
Yard and plant waste
- Cold ashes *
- Garden waste (except certain noxious or invasive plants listed on the website)
- Healthy or sick plants, indoor plants, and attached soil
- Leaves and lawn clippings
- Straw and hay
- Tree branches less than 1 metre long and 12 millimeters thick*
- Wood chips and sawdust
*Materials difficult to treat in home composters. Brown bin collection is your chance to get rid of them.
Things you can't put in your brown bin
Cat litter and animal excrement
Certain noxious plants
Cigarettes
Hair, finger- and toenails, fur, feathers
Household hazardous waste (HHW, such as waste oil, batteries, paint)
Dead animals
Diapers and personal hygiene products (dental floss, sanitary pads, cotton swabs, etc.)
Plasticized or waxed paper packaging (e.g., ice-cream containers)
Plastic bags (even those marked biodegradable, oxobiodegradable, or compostable)
Soil, sand, and gravel (except soil attached to plants)
Styrofoam
Textiles
Tree trunks and stumps
Vacuum-cleaner waste
Wood, cement, ceramics, and other CRD (construction, renovation, and demolition) waste
