Green Bin

Video: Green Bin How To

For updates on curbside collection interruptions or cancellations, please go to our eNews page.

Curbside Collection Schedule

All households in the County receive weekly blue box and green bin collection, while garbage is collected every other week. Please use the table below to determine your collection day, and to see if you follow the Week A or the Week B schedule for your bi-weekly garbage collection.

Week A Collection Days	Week B Collection Days
Tuesday A - Mapleton, Salem, Elora (North of Grand River)	Tuesday B - Minto
Wednesday A - Centre Wellington (West of Hwy 6), Elora (South of Grand River)	Wednesday B - Centre Wellington (East of Hwy 6)
Thursday A - Erin	Thursday B - Wellington North
Friday A - Guelph/Eramosa	Friday B - Puslinch

2023 Curbside Collection Schedule:

2023 Curbside Collection Schedule (Week A)2023 Curbside Collection Schedule (Week B)

An alternate collection day is provided if your regular collection day falls on a statutory holiday.

Curbside Collection

All houses that receive curbside waste collection by the County of Wellington receive weekly curbside collection of the green bin.

Collection days are Tuesday to Friday each week. Blue boxes and green bins are collected weekly, while user pay garbage bags are collected every other week. Urban and rural areas receive the same frequency of collection. If you are not sure of your collection day or where to place your materials, please refer to the SWS calendar or contact SWS.

You must place your organic waste in a municipal style green bin for collection. Proper placement of the green bin for curbside collection is important for efficiency and safety.

How the Green Bin programme works

Illustration of a kitchen catcher bucket next to a green bin

Place the kitchen catcher bucket on the counter or under the kitchen sink. Place the green bin in an accessible place outside or in your garage.
- Optional Step - Line the kitchen catcher and/or green bin with an acceptable paper or BPI compostable liner.
Place acceptable organic waste items into the kitchen catcher throughout the day.
Once the kitchen catcher is full, fold or tie the liner bag shut if you are using one, and empty the contents into the green bin. Continue to fill the kitchen catcher and empty its contents into your green bin as you produce more organic waste, rinsing and re-lining the kitchen catcher each time if you desire.
On collection day, place the green bin at the curb no later than 7:00 am. To deter critters, leave the lock latched. DO NOT place the kitchen catcher bucket at the curb for collection. Only the large green bin should be placed at the curb.
After collection, rinse the green bin if necessary and repeat!

Acceptable Items

What goes in the green bin

Food

Fruits, vegetables
Meat, poultry, fish, shellfish (including bones and shells)
Pasta, bread, cereals, rice
Baked goods
Dairy products, eggs and eggshells
Coffee grounds, loose leaf tea, paper filters and tea bags
Nuts, nutshells
Flour, grains
Herbs, spices, sauces
Fat, grease, lard (small quantities, solidified, no liquids)
Chewing gum
Pet food
Pumpkins and Jack O'Lanterns (cut up to fit into green bin; remove any candles or decorative items)

Paper

Muffin liners, butcher paper, wax paper, parchment paper
Paper plates, paper napkins, paper towels
Fast-food paper packaging (no paper cups for hot or cold beverages)
Paper flour and sugar bags
Greasy pizza boxes (broken down to fit into green bin)
Shredded paper (loose or in compostable bags only)

Other Items

Houseplants (including soil)
Animal bedding (no droppings or kitty litter)
Saw dust, wood chips, wood shavings

What stays out of the green bin

Not Acceptable

Plastic bags
Human waste (facial tissue, hair, etc.)
Pet waste, kitty litter

Small amounts of pet waste can be added to a Green Cone Digester. Check out the Home Composting page for more information.

Paper cups (for hot or cold beverages)
Yard waste (grass clippings, sticks, brush, etc.)
Diapers, wipes, sanitary products

Diapers and incontinence products go into your garbage. To reduce odours, double bag and use a garbage can with a sealed lid, ensuring the outer bag is a user pay garbage bag. Please, only one bag of waste per garbage can. Check out the Garbage Collection page for more tips on managing diaper waste.

Printable Green Bin Materials List

Not sure what to do with an unwanted item?

Use the Recycle Coach waste app to look up how to properly dispose of certain items.

Recycle Coach logo

Line your green bin (optional)

Although it is not a requirement, you may want to line your kitchen catcher and/or green bin to keep them clean and reduce odours. If you choose to line your kitchen catcher and/or green bin, you must use one of the following:

Paper bags
Paper towels
Newspapers – Watch this quick video demonstrating how to create a newspaper pouch!
Compostable liner bags certified with the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) logo

DO NOT use plastic bags in your kitchen catcher or green bin. Any green bins containing plastic bags will NOT be collected.

Have your green bin out by 7:00 am

Collection routing is expected to be different with the new changes to the curbside collection programme. Unexpected changes to collection routing also happen routinely (e.g. bad weather, road closures, accidents, truck breakdowns, and waiting times at waste facilities)
Collectors are not responsible for returning to collect materials that were placed out after 7:00 am
If you miss your collection, please store your materials until your next collection day or take them to any County waste facility (fees apply).

Placement of green bin

Trucks collect from both sides of the street throughout the County, including rural roads. Simply place your green bin, blue boxes, and user pay garbage bags at the end of your driveway or laneway for collection.

Place the green bin in a visible location at the curb
Place the green bin at the end of your driveway or laneway, and within one metre (three feet) of the curb or roadside
Do not place the green bin in ditches, on snow piles, or on the travelled part of the road or sidewalk
Do not block mail boxes
Each green bin must not exceed 18 kg (40 lb). Green bins over 18 kg (40 lbs) will not be collected

Municipal style green bins

For Health and Safety reasons and for efficiency of route management, only municipal style green bins will be accepted at the curb. No substitute organics containers will be collected from the curb (i.e. no kitchen catchers, no garbage pails).
Each household will be given one green bin at no charge. Green bins were delivered to every eligible home during the launch of the programme in 2020. New subdivisions will receive green bins just before collection by the County begins. If you move to the County and your home does not already have a green bin, and you are not part of a new subdivision that will be receiving green bins, please contact SWS.
Additional green bins may be purchased at County waste facilities for $20 each.
Consider writing your address on your green bin so it can be returned if necessary.
Rinse your green bin regularly to reduce odours and deter pests.

County of Wellington green bin

Uncollected materials

Collection crews place stickers on uncollected green bins to explain the main reasons for materials being left behind. If you are still unclear why your materials were left behind, please contact SWS.
If materials were placed out after 7:00 am, you may have missed your collection. Collectors will not return to pick up materials placed out after 7:00 am.
Green bin material will not be collected if it contains unacceptable items, such as plastic bags, pet waste, or yard waste.

Sticker placed on unacceptable green bins

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Green Bin Organics Programme?

The Green Bin Organics Programme is a programme offered by the County of Wellington that will have organic waste collected from your home, diverted from landfill, and turned into compost.

What is "organic waste"?

"Organic waste" refers to all food waste, some paper items, and small quantities of other organic items (e.g. indoor plants). You will find a detailed list of acceptable green bin items on this page.

Who can participate in this programme?

All households in the County of Wellington that currently receive curbside collection can participate in this programme. This includes multi-residential buildings with up to six units. Single family households and multi-residential buildings with up to six units should have received their green bins.

Multi-residential buildings with seven or more units are excluded at this time, unless the building is currently using the User Pay curbside collection programme for waste disposal. If you live in a multi-residential building with seven or more units and you would like to have the Green Bin Programme implemented in your building, please call Solid Waste Services (SWS) at 519.837.2601 or email wasteinfo@wellington.ca. You will need to provide SWS with the contact information for your building's landlord/superintendent/building owner/condo manager. Multi-residential buildings with seven or more units will be assessed on a case by case basis. If your multi-residential building is not eligible for the Green Bin Programme, it is up to the building's management to source out organics collection service through the private sector.

Some small businesses, churches, etc. with limited organic waste are eligible to participate in the Green Bin Programme. Similar to how the County handles blue box collection, this would be limited to organizations that are on the County's collection routes, and limited to a maximum of 6 green bins per location. Also similar to how the County handles blue box collection, the organization would need to purchase their green bins. Green bins are available for $20 each at all of the County's six waste facilities.

What happens to the collected material?

The contents collected from green bins are taken to All Treat Farms in Arthur, where it is turned into compost. The finished compost becomes the main ingredient in many lawn care and garden soil products sold through retailers across Canada. By composting this material instead of landfilling it, the County is saving landfill space, reducing methane gas emissions, and creating a valuable resource for improving soil in residential gardens and agricultural applications.

When did green bin collection start?

Green bin collection began the week of July 7, 2020. Green bins and blue boxes are now collected weekly, while user pay garbage bags are collected every other week. Please refer to the SWS calendar for more details on your collection schedule.

I just moved to a home in the County and it doesn't have a green bin. How can I get one?

If you have just moved to a home in the County and you need a green bin, please call Solid Waste Services at 519.837.2601 or email wasteinfo@wellington.ca.

I live above a store. How can I get a green bin?

If you live above a store and you would like a green bin, please call Solid Waste Services at 519.837.2601 or email wasteinfo@wellington.ca.

How can I replace my damaged green bin?

If you have a damaged green bin, please bring it to any of the County's six waste facilities to exchange it for a new one, free of charge.

How can I get an additional green bin?

If you need an additional green bin, they are available for $20 each at all of the County's six waste facilities.

I am a business owner in the County. How can I participate in the Green Bin Organics Programme?

At this time, we are focusing our efforts on the residential sector for the Green Bin Programme. Green bins will only be provided to residential properties.

Some small businesses, churches, etc. with limited organic waste are eligible to participate in the Green Bin Programme. Similar to how the County handles blue box collection, this is limited to organizations that are on the County's collection routes, and limited to a maximum of 6 green bins per location. Also similar to how the County handles blue box collection, the organization needs to purchase their green bins. Green bins are available for $20 each at all of the County's six waste facilities.

In addition, the County is working in partnership with the City of Guelph on the Smart Cities "Our Food Future" project. There may be opportunities through this project to assist local businesses to reduce and divert food and organic waste in their operations. More information on the overall initiative can be found at http://foodfuture.ca/.

My business or charity organization provides food in take-out containers. What types of containers will be accepted in the Green Bin Organics Programme?

There are a variety of compostable take-out containers out there. However, not all compostable take-out containers are made the same, and some may not be accepted in the Green Bin Organics Programme. Curbside collection crews look inside each green bin before collecting the material, to ensure only acceptable material is collected. Green bins with unacceptable material will be left at the curb uncollected, to prevent contamination. If a collector cannot visually see that a take-out container is compostable, they will leave the green bin uncollected. Please note, collectors will not be pulling material out to inspect them thoroughly. Therefore, a simple rule to follow with take-out containers is to choose containers that can be visually identified as compostable from a distance. The best option that will cause the least confusion is paper take-out containers. These can be easily identified and are accepted in the Green Bin Organics Programme. Other plant-based compostable materials, especially those that look like plastic or styrofoam, will likely not get collected.

Organizations that participate in the Green Bin Organics Porgramme are encouraged to contact Solid Waste Services at 519.837.2601 or wasteinfo@wellington.ca for guidance on acceptable and unacceptable materials, especially when it comes to food packaging.

Helpful tips

Reducing Food Waste

Plan your meals
Shop with a grocery list
Incorporate leftover meals into your weekly meal plans
Keep your refrigerator set to 2 to 4^oC to keep your food fresh
Freeze whatever food you can so that it can last longer
Whatever food you cannot use up you can put in your green bin or backyard composter

Check out our Food Waste Reduction webpage for more information and tips.

Reducing Odours

Keep your kitchen catcher and green bin clean. See Keeping Bins Clean below.
Rinsing your bins with lemon juice or vinegar can really help to reduce odours
Add layers of paper (e.g. shredded paper, newspaper, used paper towel) between food waste to absorb moisture
Sprinkle a natural deodorizer like baking soda into bottom of your kitchen catcher and/or green bin, and occasionally sprinkle a bit of baking soda between the layers of food waste throughout the week
Try keeping the most odourous food waste (e.g. meat, fish) in your freezer until collection day
Keep your bins in cool, shaded spots. Your kitchen catcher may go under the sink or on the counter away from windows, while your green bin may be in a garage, shed, or a shaded spot outside.
Try waiting until the night before collection to clean out your fridge
Empty your kitchen catcher into your green bin regularly to keep odours out of your kitchen. Remember, your green bin is collected weekly, but you can empty your kitchen catcher as often as you want!
Set your green bin out for collection every week, even if it is not full. Remember, both organics and recycling are collected every week!

Keeping Bins Clean

Line your kitchen catcher and/or green bin with paper or BPI compostable liner bags
Try rinsing your kitchen catcher every time you empty it, and rinsing your green bin after every collection
Rinsing your bins with lemon juice or vinegar can really help to reduce odours

Deterring Pests

Keep the lids of your kitchen catcher and green bin shut at all times
Use your green bin's orange latch to lock the lid shut and keep animals out
Store your green bin in a garage, shed, or at the very least, away from fences and rails that can be easily climbed by animals
If you store your green bin outside and are worried the orange latch is not enough to keep critters out, try using bungee cords or a heavy object on the green bin lid. Just remember to remove these on collection day!
Keep insects, such as ants, away from your kitchen catcher and/or green bin by placing vinegar around the rim of the opening. This is especially helpful in the Summer!

In the Winter

To prevent organics from freezing inside your green bin in extreme cold temperatures, try these helpful tips:
- Avoid placing liquids inside your green bin
- Place a paper egg carton or balled up newspapers at the bottom of your green bin to prevent contents from sticking to the bottom of the bin. Theses paper items are acceptable in the Green Bin programme are okay to fall into the collection truck.
- Line your green bin with a BPI compostable liner bag, then on collection day tie the bag shut and loosen the bag from the sides of the bin before setting the bin out for collection
Do not place your green bin on a snow bank for collection

Other

Avoid losing your green bin on windy days by bringing your bin back inside or beside the house as soon as possible after collection. You can also write your address in permanent marker on your green bin so that it can be returned more easily.
Convenience is key! Place your kitchen catcher in a more convenient and accessible location than your garbage bin to ensure that you and your household compost as much as possible. Just make sure you do not put any garbage items into your kitchen catcher.
Download the Recycle Coach waste app to receive set-out reminders, so you never miss a collection day. The app can also tell you how to dispose of items properly when you are unsure of where they go.