Compost and Green Bin

If you missed our annual composter sale you can: 

• See if your local city or town sells backyard composters year-round
• Search online for retailers that sell home composting systems
• Stay tuned as we make plans for the 2025 Composter Sale 

About Composting

Composters turn kitchen scraps, like fruit and vegetable peels, and yard waste, like leaves and garden trimmings, into natural, nutrient-rich compost to feed your trees, lawn and garden. It’s easy and can save you money too! 

The benefits of compost: 

• Improves soil quality 
• Returns nutrients back to the earth 
• Uses less water for plants 
• Reduces the need for fertilizers 
• Reduces greenhouse gas emissions 

For more information on how to use a composter, check out our Composting Made Easy brochure.

Is your yard too small for a composter? Try purchasing an indoor vermi-composter (using worms) or Bokashi composter (using fermentation). Search for composters online to find retailers that sell these types of indoor systems.

What can go in a Backyard Composter?

Still not sure where it goes? Search using the Bindicator.

Using Your Backyard Composter

1. Choose a sunny location that has good drainage and is easy to access
2. To prevent pests or rodents from disturbing it, place a base of chicken wire on the ground and set the composter on top of it
3. Alternate layers of green materials high in nitrogen like kitchen scraps and grass clippings with layers of brown materials high in carbon like dried leaves 
4. Avoid adding a thick layer of any one material type, especially not grass as it can get odourous; it’s best to mix it in with other material types
5. Chop up larger pieces to help them break down faster
6. Turn your compost regularly with a garden fork to allow air flow; ideally once every two to four weeks
7. Add a thin layer of soil periodically to add more micro-organisms to speed up the composting process
8. Add water if needed. Compost should feel damp like a wrung-out sponge
9. Continue to compost in winter; the composting process slows down, but will speed up again in spring
10. Compost is ready when the texture is dark and crumbly and has a pleasant earth-like smell; it usually takes one year to produce rich compost

York Region Food Network Resources

• York Region Food Network – Compost Learning Hub
• York Region Food Network – Compost YouTube Channel

Green bin waste is collected weekly by your local city or town and delivered to York Region, who processes and composts it through contracted facilities in Ontario.

What is accepted in the green bin

Still not sure where it goes? Search using the Bindicator.

Green bin tips

• Line your green bin with certified compostable paper or plastic bags. Paper or certified compostable bags are preferred

To reduce odours:

• Keep it clean – regularly wash with vinegar, baking soda or other natural cleaners
• Keep organic material dry by wrapping in newspaper
• Store meat and bones in the freezer until collection day
• Sprinkle baking soda to help absorb odours

Frequently asked questions

My green bin wasn’t collected, who do I contact?
Curbside collection of your green bin is managed by your local city or town. Please visit their websites or refer to your waste collection calendar for the collection schedule and contact information. 

What happens to my green bin waste once it’s collected?
Your city or town delivers the green bin material collected curbside to a transfer station in York Region where it is gathered and transported to contracted composting facilities in Ontario.

Most of York Region’s green bin material is processed using aerobic (with oxygen) composting technology and a small portion is processed through anaerobic (without oxygen) digestion technology. The green bin material is turned into renewable biogas (for electricity and heat), compost and fertilizer. 

In January 2023, York Regional Council awarded a 20-year contract to process its green bin material in a new state-of-the-art biofuel facility that will help York Region achieve its climate change action plan outcomes, including York Region’s own corporate goal to achieve net-zero carbon by 2050 as guided by our Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan.

If the product packaging says it is compostable, why won’t York Region accept these items in the green bin?
Many plastics labelled as compostable, biodegradable or bioplastic don’t break down in composting facilities and cannot be recycled. They are not accepted in most green bin and blue box programs and should go in the garbage. The processing systems found in most composting facilities were designed to primarily manage food waste, not packaging. 

Will the Region ever accept products labelled as compostable?
The challenge with compostable products is: 

• They take more time to break down than the typical composting cycle used in most composting facilities 
• They behave like plastic in the screening process that is used to remove contaminants like plastic from the organic material; once removed they are sent for disposal 

For the Region to accept products labelled as compostable, the products would have to break down quickly and not behave like plastic in order for it not to be screened from the rest of the organic materials. Current regulations do not require compostable products and packaging to be accepted in municipal green bin programs in Ontario. If this regulation changes, all affected parties, including York Region would have to comply. 

Why can I line my green bin with a plastic bag or put diapers and sanitary products in the green bin but not product packaging labelled as compostable?
Plastic bag liners, diapers and sanitary products all contain plastic and are still problematic, but processing technology can manage them. The plastic bag is accepted in the green bin to promote a more hygienic way to collect and transfer your green bin waste. Bag breaker equipment can tear open bags and shred diapers and sanitary products to release their contents at the composting facility. The plastic materials are screened out during the process and sent for disposal. 

Products labelled as compostable come in different shapes, sizes, composition and material types. York Region’s composting facilities are not able to effectively identify and separate these various products from the organic waste. Often these products contaminate the organic material because they take too long to break down compared to organic food waste.

What is being done to address the confusion around compostable products?
The federal government is working towards achieving zero plastic waste by 2030 which includes introducing labelling rules for plastic packaging and single-use plastics. Terms like “compostable”, “degradable” and “biodegradable” would be regulated and labelled consistently which would help consumers know where to dispose of these items. Anything labelled “compostable” could only be labelled that way if it meets the requirements. These rules and regulations are still under development. 

Have another question? 

Contact us at 1-866-665-6752 or email accessyork@york.ca 

Watch our video to learn what happens to your green bin waste.