Single Family Green Bin Guidelines

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Your Food Isn’t Garbage

About 50% of a typical residential household’s garbage is food scraps and food-soiled paper products. Help reduce waste by placing your food scraps and food-soiled paper, along with your yard material, into your Green Bin for composting.

The City of Burnaby provides weekly curbside collection of Green Bins from single and two-family homes.

Yard trimmings and food scraps are collected together using an automated collection system that utilizes specially designated Green Bin wheeled containers. Please follow the guidelines on this page, or download a Green Bin Guide.

Green Bin Tips

Keep your Green Bin clean and avoid odour:

• “Wrap Your Scraps” using newspaper, boxboard or paper bags before placing in Green Bin.
• Keep Green Bin in a shady area, out of direct sunlight or inside a shed/garage.
• Keep lid closed to deter pests.
• Freeze food scraps before placing them in the Green Bin.

Collection Reminders

• Do not bag or bundle yard trimmings, it must go loose inside the Green Bin
• Do not put garbage, plastic bags or other non-organic material in the Green Bin
• Do not overfill Green Bin, it will not be collected
• Wrap Your Scraps! Wrap food scraps in paper-based products only (e.g. newspaper, paper bag or cereal box).
  DO NOT use plastic or “plastic-like” degradable bags
• Extra yard trimmings (no food scraps) can be dropped off to Burnaby’s Eco-Centre, 4855 Still Creek Drive. Residents can drop off up to 100kg for free per day. If load exceeds 100kg, the entire load is charged at the full tipping rate. (Proof of residency required) 

Getting started...

• Get a lidded container to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper products in your kitchen - reuse an ice cream bucket or large plastic container.
• Collect YES food scraps and food-soiled paper products in your kitchen container. Read or print Accepted Food Scrap and Unaccepted Food Scrap posters to find out.
• Please do not use plastic or compostable bags, they are not accepted.
• Empty food scraps, along with paper liners, into your yard trimmings container.
• Set your yard trimming container out on your regular scheduled collection day. Your yard trimmings container does not have to be full for it to be collected.

Make a Liner:

• It's easy. Read Instructions To Make a Kitchen Liner out of newspaper

How to wash your yard trimmings container

Frequently Asked Questions

• Who can participate in the Food Scraps Recycling Program?

  • As of June 7th, 2010 any single or duplex home that currently receives automated yard trimmings collection can participate in the food scraps program.

• I live in a multi-family property, can I participate in program?

  • If your complex receives City garbage and recycling it may qualify for the City's Multi-family Food Scraps Program.

• Is participation in the food scraps recycling program mandatory?

  • Yes. Under the City's Solid Waste and Recycling Bylaw, the separation of food scraps from the garbage is required by all single and two-family properties. In addition, Metro Vancouver, our regional government, has implemented an Organics Disposal Ban that bans all organic materials from disposal.

• What kind of food scraps are accepted in the Food Scraps Recycling Program?

  • Any "Yes" food and food-soiled paper materials are accepted.

    Any "No" materials, such as large volumes of liquid cooking oil, animals waste, plastic or any packaging are not accepted.

    The surest approach is "If in Doubt, Leave it Out or Find Out" -- you can contact us at 604-294-7972 or engineering@burnaby.ca."

• Can grease or cooking oil be placed in the Green Bin?

  • Small amounts of cooking oil and grease from frying foods can go into the Green Bin as long as it is absorbed into paper towel or newspaper. Please drop off larger volumes of cooking oil and grease to the City's Eco-Centre for recycling.

• What can I use as a kitchen collection container?

  • To store your food scraps in the kitchen you can reuse a large yogurt container, ice cream bucket, jug or any container you have hand (as long as it has a secure lid), or purchase a kitchen food scraps pail from your local retailer. Since you’ll be emptying it in your Green Bin on a regular basis, just make sure it’s something you can easily carry.

• What about rodents or insects getting into my yard container?

  • You are already putting food waste into your garbage container, now you are just putting it into your Green Bin along with your yard trimmings. There are steps you can take to reduce odour and attractants in your Green Bin.. Review the Green Bin Tips for more information.

• Should I line my kitchen and yard container?

  • You do not need to line your yard container or kitchen container. However using a paper liner can keep your kitchen or Green Bin clean and reduce odour. If you choose to use a liner, you can use newspaper, paper bags (mushroom bags, flour bags), cardboard (cereal box) or paper towels. Do not use plastic or compostable bags, as they are not accepted. (See above for directions on making a newspaper kitchen liner).

• Why am I not allowed to use plastic or compostable bags to line my container?

  • Plastic or compostable bags contaminate and interrupt the composting process, resulting in unmarketable compost. Using paper towel, paper bags, newspaper or cardboard to line your kitchen or Green Bin is better. It absorbs excess moisture, and allows oxygen into the foods scraps, which slows the break down of the material in your containers, and reduces odours. Having paper products mixed with food scraps also benefits the composting process, as it provides a good carbon source.

• Are there companies that will come and clean my Green Bin if it gets dirty?

  • Yes! There are private companies you can hire to clean your Green Bin. Please contact the Recycling Council of BC Recycling Hotline 604-732-9253 for a a list of companies.

• How often will the City collect the food scraps?

  • Food scraps will be collected weekly using you Green Bin.

• What if my Green Bin is not full?

  • That’s okay! Put your Green Bin out for collection every week on your regular scheduled collection day even if it is not full, or if you do not have yard waste.

• Now that I can put my food scraps in my yard waste container I do not have as much garbage. Can I change the size of my garbage container to a smaller one?

  • Yes! With the move to food scraps recycling program, the City has anticipated that residents will reduce the amount of garbage they put out for collection. If you need to reduce the size of the garbage container you have, please contact the Engineering Department at 604-294-7460 or engineering@burnaby.ca. A $50 service fee will be charged for toter exchanges. 

• Should I continue to use my backyard composter?

  • Yes! Home composting is the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to dispose of food scraps (fruit and vegetable only), not to mention the ‘black gold’ compost you’ll get as a result. If you have a home composter, please continue to use it, think of the food scraps recycling program as a compliment to what you are already doing, as it includes food items that are not acceptable for backyard composters. If you want to start a backyard composter, they are available to residents for $35 at the Eco-Centre (4855 Still Creek Drive, west of Douglas).

Need Help?

Download Burnaby's
Collection App