Smelly garbage?

Make use of your green bin!

Does your garbage stink? It’s likely because you have some items in there that actually belong in the green bin – like food scraps, tissues, napkins, soiled paper plates, pet waste, kitty litter and much more. 

By sorting your waste right, you can help prevent that not-so-nice smell in your home while also reducing what’s sent to landfills. And the City of Vaughan collects unlimited green bins weekly, so be sure to take advantage! 

What your food scraps can do

When organic waste, such as food scraps, sits in a landfill, it releases harmful greenhouse gases that pollute our environment. By placing food waste in the green bin, we help create nutrient-rich fertilizer for farmers’ fields to help grow our food. 

Your leftovers can have many benefits for crops! Here are some fun facts you may be surprised by:

• Banana skins break down quickly and help improve soil texture, retain water and lighten heavy soils.
• Coffee filters add essential carbon to compost piles, improving drainage, reducing odours and aerating the pile. 
• Coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen, providing bacteria that compost piles need to turn organic matter into compost.
• Eggshells are an excellent source of calcium and other essential nutrients that contribute to plant growth. Calcium strengthens the cell walls of plants; magnesium helps the process of photosynthesis; and potassium reduces water loss and wilting.
• Nutshells are rich in phosphorus and potassium, which can help promote excellent plant growth.
• Steeped tea bags and/or leaves are naturally rich in nutrients such as potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen, which can help counterbalance the carbon-rich materials in your compost. 

Unlike produce, wooden crates and bushel baskets should be bagged and placed in the garbage – they cannot go in the green bin or blue box. 

Never dispose of peels and other food products down a drain or catch basin. Doing this can cause costly blockages and damages to the City’s stormwater or wastewater systems.

Visit the City’s green bin organics webpage to learn more about how to use your green bin.

Need a new green bin? Buy one online through Service Vaughan and schedule a delivery right to your home. 

Unsure what waste item goes where? When in doubt, use the City’s ‘What Goes Where?’ tool! It’s an online sorting program that allows you to find the right bin for each waste item easily. It also provides information on curbside collection requirements. You can also download the Recycle Coach app through the Apple App Store or Google Play to help determine what goes where. The app also provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to put at the curb each week. 

To learn more about the City’s waste services, visit vaughan.ca/waste.

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