Organics recycling is an important part of the City of Ottawa’s long term Waste Strategy. Diverting residential organic waste away from landfill saves the City millions of dollars and reduces the need for additional landfill sites.
Food waste or scraps
Baking ingredients, herbs and spices
Bread, cereals, crackers and grains
Candy and gum
Chips, popcorn and nuts
Coffee grounds and filters
Cookies, cakes, muffins and pastries
Dairy products (cheese, sour cream)
Dough
Eggs and egg shells
Fruits and vegetables
Jams, jellies, marmalades or chutney
Leftover cooking oils, lard, shortening, fat, butter and margarine
Meat, fish, shellfish, poultry, bones and scraps
Nuts and shells
Pasta, beans, rice and couscous
Peanut butter
Pet food
Pits (all types)
Salad dressing, mayonnaise, vinegar, sauces, marinades, dips and gravy
Seeds
Tea and tea bags
Yard waste
Branches, twigs and hedge trimmings
Leaves
Plants and weeds
Grass clippings
Other acceptable items
Animal bedding (e.g. bird and hamster cages)
Barbeque ashes
Butcher’s meat wrap
Cold fireplace ash
Cotton balls
Dryer lint
Floor sweepings, vacuum bags and vacuum contents
Food-soiled paper towels, napkins and tissues
Food-soiled pizza boxes only (clean pizza boxes should go in the black box)
Household plants, including soil
Kitty litter
Microwave popcorn bags
Paper coffee cups, plates and muffin wrappers
Pet fur, hair and feathers
Soiled paper, boxboard and cardboard
Sugar, flour and potato paper bags
Waxed paper, cardboard and cold drink cups
Wooden popsicle sticks and toothpicks
Not allowed in the green bin
Plastic bags of any kind (even the compostable varieties aren’t allowed)
Plastic impedes the composting process and prevents the flow of air through the organic material, causing it to smell. It also reduces the quality of compost and increases the cost for processing. Plastic residue still needs to be disposed of after composting and increases the amount of material that must be screened out of compost and sent to the landfill.
Diapers and sanitary products (as they contain plastics)