From Curb to Compost
Plastic in your green Green Cart can end up in your garden. Follow the composting cycle to see what happens to the organics collected from your Green Cart.
Green Cart material is dumped into the collection truck and transported to a local composting facility.
The material is inspected for noticeable contamination before being sent through a grinder.
The material is placed into piles called windrows where bacteria and other decomposers help it break down.
The material is periodically turned to oxygenate the piles, reducing the production of methane gas.
The finished product is screened to remove additional contaminants.
The final product is added to soil products and bagged so that it can be sold/purchased.
Did you know?
Compost made from your green waste is bagged and sold under various brands locally, meaning what you put in your Green Cart can end up in the soil in your garden and local parks.
Your Green Cart: what’s in and what’s out
Know what can and can’t be composted in your Green Cart. Any non-compostable materials like plastics will not break down at composting facilities. Only organic materials should be placed in your green cart.
What does organic mean?
When it comes to composting, "organic" applies to anything made from living matter. This includes items that are produced naturally by the earth, such as those that can be grown or eaten.
What belongs in your Green Cart?
To bag or not to bag?
Even though food scraps are accepted loose in your Green Cart, we do understand that bagging or wrapping them can make things easier and help keep your cart clean. If you like collecting your food scraps in a bag, consider wrapping them in old newspaper or using 100% paper bags designed for food waste. See how you can easily make a newspaper food scrap bin liner at home.
What common contaminants do not belong in your Green Cart?
Compostable and biodegradable plastic items
Plastic items may be advertised as compostable, plant-based, or “accepted in municipal collection programs”, but they do not break down fully at composting facilities. Please do not put these plastic items in your green cart. Instead, choose paper or wood-based alternatives.
