What can go in my Green Bin

The following materials are accepted in the new organics collection:

• meat, fish, shellfish, poultry, bones, eggshells
• fruit and vegetables
• dairy products
• bread, cereals, crackers
• pasta, beans, rice, seeds and other grains
• coffee grounds, filters, tea bags
• cookies, chips, popcorn, nuts
• Cooking oils, lard, shortening, fat, butter
• pet food
• salad dressings, mayonnaise, vinegar, sauces, gravy, dips

Other acceptable (non-food) items:

• Small animal bedding
• BBQ ashes (cold)
• Fireplace ash (cold)
• Butcher paper meat wrap
• Food soiled paper towels, napkins, parchment or wax paper 
• Food-soiled pizza and cereal boxes
• Wood chips/sawdust
• Microwave paper popcorn bags
• paper cups, plates, muffin wrappers
• Pet fur, hair, feathers,
• Dog waste and cat litter
• Sugar, flour and potato paper bags

What is NOT accepted in the Green Bin

• Diapers
• Menstral products
• Solid waste (garbage)
• Leaf and yard waste
• recyclable materials

Green Bin Tips

Green Bin disposal options

The following items can be used as a bagging option for household organics in the green bin:

• Paper bags
• Plastic bags (compostable and non-compostable) including bread bags, milk bags, grocery bags
• Newspaper linings in the kitchen counter container
• Cereal boxes to contain food waste
• Compostable liners for purchase

Tips for keeping green bin clean:

• Line your green bin with flyers, newspaper or paper bags.
• Rinse your green bin with a garden hose from time to time, followed by lemon juice, vinegar or baking soda to reduce odours and keep bugs out. 
• Spray your green bin with cooking oil in the winter to minimize risk of items freezing to the bin and ensure easy removal of waste.
• Keeping your meat or fish scraps in the freezer until collection day helps reduce odours.

Keep animals and critters away:

• Keep your green bin away from fences and deck railings so that animals can't get into it.
• Sprinkling a strong-smelling biodegradable repellent such as vinegar or detergent on your green bin helps keep pests away.
• Lock the lid to keep animals out of your green bin.

What company picks up Organics?

Beginning November 2nd, 2020, Emterra Environmental, the new waste management contractor will be responsible for all aspects of North Grenville’s curbside program, including waste, recycling, and organics (beginning Feb 2021). If you have any questions or concerns regarding collection or missed collection, please contact Emterra Environmental directly at: 1-855-532-7555.

What if I have a backyard composter

If you already use a backyard composter you are helping divert waste from the landfill! The new organics collection will help you divert even more waste! Use the green bin for items you cannot throw in your backyard composter. 

What does NOT go in my backyard composter?

Do not compost bones, fish, dog or cat waste, dairy products, rhubarb leaves and other toxic plants, fatty foods such as cheese, salad dressing, leftover cooking oil, meats, walnut shell or walnut leaves. Put these items (and more) in your green bin.

What can I compost?

• Yard waste - leaves, grass clippings, wood chips, plants, flowers, weeds (before they go to seed), straw or hay.
• Kitchen scraps - fruits & vegetables, eggshells, tea bags/leaves, coffee grounds/filters, rice, bread, pasta (no oil or sauce).
• Other - hair, sawdust (non-treated wood).

What is Composting?

Composting is the natural breakdown of food and yard waste into a nutrient-rich material which can be added to your gardens.

Why Compost?

• Soil Enrichment - Compost improves soil structure to enhance plant growth (similar to peat moss).
• Water Conservation - Compost helps soil retain moisture which reduces the need for watering.
• Waste Reduction - Composting can reduce your household waste.
• Prevent Plant Disease - compost contains natural antibiotics that suppress disease in plants.

How do I compost?

• Choose a sunny location with good drainage for your composter.
• Place a base (i.e. chicken wire) on the ground and set the composter on top of the base.
• Place kitchen scraps (i.e. greens: materials high in nitrogen such as vegetables, or grass clippings) with yard waste (i.e. browns: materials high in carbon such as dried leaves) in alternating layers and turn regularly.
• Place some "finished compost" or garden soil in a thin layer (2.5 cm or 1 inch) over top of kitchen waste to help speed up the process, reduce the risk of odours and allow for air movement and drainage.
• Your compost is ready when the texture is dark and crumbly and has a pleasant earth-like smell. It will normally take a year or more.

Composting Tips

• Always keep your compost material as moist as a damp sponge.
• Chop waste into smaller bits for faster decomposition.
• Don't add thick layers of any one material, particularly grass; mix it with other material instead.
• You can compost throughout the winter. The composting process slows down but speeds up again in the spring.