City of Peterborough Marks One-Year Anniversary of Green Bin Program

The City of Peterborough’s Green Bin program for curbside collection of household organic waste marked its first anniversary Thursday.

(from left to right) Councillor Alex Bierk, Councillor Joy LaChica, Mayor Jeff Leal and Councillor Gary Baldwin. The bins are able to keep pests and other animals from being rummaging through. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Over 28,000 households participated in the waste diversion service.

In the past year, more than 6,000 tonnes of organics have been diverted from the City-County landfill, resulting in an overall waste diversion rate of 76 per cent.

“The Green Bin program is a critical way for our municipality to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and divert waste from the landfill, helping to extend its life,” said Mayor Jeff Leal. “I thank Peterborough residents who have overwhelmingly adopted this program over the past year: your dedication has made it a success. By effectively sorting organic waste, including removing food packaging and plastics, our residents can ensure that our composting facility is producing a high-quality end product.”

To mark the anniversary of the service, the City is celebrating its success and sharing information on the need to continue being diligent about what gets put into the Green Bin to protect the compost created through the process.

Organic material is processed into compost through a series of steps, from weigh-in and mixing to the climate-controlled GORE bunkers to final screening at the organic waste processing facility on Bensfort Road.

Future phases of the program are expected to consider expanding service to include multi-residential and commercial participants.

The site operator manages the compost produced at the facility. Between May 1 and Nov. 30, a portion of compost is available to residents for purchase at the City-County Landfill. The City’s Environmental Services division also coordinates compost donations to the City’s community gardens.

This project received $6.1 million in funding through the Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund.

Green Bin sorting tips

• Remove any packaging or wrappers from food before disposal. Coffee pods may commonly be labelled as compostable, but cannot be processed at our facility.

• Only certified compostable/BPI bags are accepted – products that are labelled biodegradable may not be processed by our facility

• Yard waste which includes leaves and brush should be sorted separately for weekly pickup, April through November.

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City to End Seasonal Yard Waste Collection On Dec. 1

The final week for the 2023 curbside yard waste collection service will be Tuesday to Dec. 1.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

The City of Peterborough reminds residents that in late fall, when temperatures drop below freezing, yard waste can freeze, sticking to the sides of bins and causing issues with collection.

The City adds that to ensure full pickup of yard waste, residents should consider using bags for disposal to avoid partially frozen material being left in a bin after collection.

The curbside yard waste collection program will resume in April.

Yard waste collection program details include:

• Unlimited quantities of yard waste are accepted when set out in paper yard waste bags or reusable containers that are labelled, bushel baskets.

• Rigid open-top containers with a maximum volume of 80 litres, with two fixed handles. Lids must be removable and not secured by any means. Yard waste material must empty freely when emptied/dumped by the collector.

• Bins must have two clearly identifiable yellow yard waste labels, available for no charge at City Hall, 500 George St. N.

• Plastic bags are not accepted for yard waste.

• Each bag or container must weigh less than 13 kilograms (30 pounds).

• Brush can be tied in bundles weighing not more than 13 kilograms (30 pounds), with a length of up to one metre (three feet) and a diameter of up to 30.5 centimetres (12 inches).

Yard waste is accepted year-round at the Peterborough landfill at 1260 Bensfort Rd. in Otonabee-South Monaghan; fees will apply.

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Monaghan Ward Councillors To Host Green Bin Information Session

Monaghan Ward Councillors Matt Crowley and Don Vassiliadis are hosting an information session on the new Green Bin household organic waste collection service at the Mapleridge Recreation Centre from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Sept. 27.

File Photo.

Details will be presented on the waste collection service changes that begin the week of Halloween including the new weekly Green Bin service, bi-weekly garbage collection and the requirement to use clear bags for curbside garbage collection. Recycling collection will remain on a weekly schedule according to the City.

Citizens can ask questions to City staff and discuss the service changes.

The new Green Bin service will reduce the amount of garbage going to the landfill which extends the life of the landfill and reduces greenhouse gas emissions as stated in a press release.

Roughly 8,000 households are having their waste collection day shift with the re-balancing of collection routes to improve service reliability and safety for sanitation workers to do the curbside collection. Residents can check their collection day using the online tool.

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City of Peterborough Launching Green Bin Program This Fall

Ahead of Earth Day on Saturday, the City of Peterborough is launching its new Green Bin program scheduled for Oct. 31, announced at Eastgate Park on Monday morning.

(from left to right) Councillor Alex Bierk, Councillor Joy LaChica, Mayor Jeff Leal and Councillor Gary Baldwin. The bins are able to keep pests and other animals from being rummaging through. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Councillor Gary Baldwin is the chair of the City’s waste management portfolio and says the new bins are going to be delivered ahead of the launch, scheduled for Oct. 31. On that day, Peterborough is switching garbage collection to every two weeks and clear bags must be used. Green Bin collection occurs on alternate weeks from garbage according to Baldwin.

“Earth Day is a great reminder that we are all responsible for environmental stewardship,” he said. “I’m really proud that Peterborough is putting the environment front and centre with upcoming changes to waste management.”

The Green Bins are for curbside collection while a smaller kitchen container will also be provided for most residential properties. Multi-residential and condominium properties that receive private waste collection services are not included.

The Green Bin for curbside collection is a heavy-duty, pest-proof cart with wheels and a locking mechanism on the lid. It can only be unlocked manually or when flipped upside down.

The following items will be accepted in the Green Bin:

• all food waste (cooked, raw, bones or spoiled);

• soiled paper products (tissues, paper towels, cardboard, pizza boxes);

• pet waste and kitty litter (no plastic liners or bags)

The following items will be disposed of in the garbage: 

• non-recyclable product packaging

• coffee pods

• diapers and wipes

• feminine hygiene products;

• plastic bags and film (overwrap)

Organic material makes up about 40 per cent of residential waste in Canada according to Mayor Jeff Leal. At full capacity, the City’s Green Resource Organics Works composting facility could accept up to 40,000 tonnes of organic material per year from the City and County of Peterborough.

Leal continued to mention that food waste at the landfill contributes to the production of greenhouse gases and leachate.

“By reducing methane gas production at the landfill through diverting organic material for composting, greenhouse gas emissions will be reduced by 1,943 tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2030 and by a total of 79,305 tonnes between 2023 and 2050,” said Leal.

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Green Bins, Clear Bags and Garbage Collection Plan in The City of Peterborough

With the start of the weekly Green Bin program for household organic waste collection on Oct. 31, the City of Peterborough will at the same time shift to every-other-week garbage collection and requiring the use of clear bags for curbside garbage collection.

photo courtesy of the city of peterborough.

City Council approved the waste management service changes as part of the Waste Management Master Plan Update on Feb. 27.

Collection for household organic waste (Green Bin program) and recycling (Blue Bin program) will be provided weekly, which will greatly reduce the amount of waste that goes into the garbage. Garbage amounts are expected to reduce by between 40 per cent and 50 per cent, which will allow garbage collection to shift to an every-other-week schedule that is common in other communities that have Green Bin programs.

The use of clear bags for garbage will support waste diversion efforts and improve worker safety for garbage collectors by helping to avoid incidents with sharp objects in garbage bags.

Together, the waste management service changes are expected to bolster the community’s waste diversion rate from about 52 per cent currently to between 76 per cent and 83 per cent by 2030. Increasing the waste diversion rate to 75 per cent will add another five to six years of life to the landfill.

Public education and awareness activities will be taking place over the next eight months leading up to the start of the Green Bin program and the other changes for waste management services.

Information on how to participate will be shared through local television, radio, newspaper, and online media sources as well as on the City website at peterborough.ca/ReduceWaste. Program education resources will include pamphlets, a waste management calendar, a what’s-in-what’s-out sheet that details what organic waste can go in the Green Bin, and other helpful resources, including the City’s waste management app “City Waste“ that features a collection calendar and a tool for what goes where when you sorting garbage, recyclables and, beginning Oct. 31, organic waste.

To kick off the program, informational material will be distributed along with Green Bins to all eligible properties starting in September.

The Downtown Business Improvement Area, apartment buildings, and private road serviced developments are not included in this phase of the program implementation.

Green Bin program

As part of the launch of the Green Bin program, a Green Bin for curbside collection and a smaller container for use in the kitchen will be delivered to all eligible households. The program is being rolled out to most residential properties, except for multi-residential and condominium properties that receive private waste collection services.

The Green Bin for curbside collection is a heavy-duty pest-proof cart with a locking mechanism on the lid.

Delivery of Green Bins to eligible properties will begin in September and is expected to be completed by mid-October. After receiving their Green Bins, residents are encouraged to wait until about Oct. 20 before starting to use them to store food waste for collection.

Weekly curbside Green Bin collection will start Oct. 31.

About 40 per cent to 50 per cent of current garbage material is organic waste that will be diverted from the garbage stream with the introduction of organic waste collection.

Every-other-week garbage collection

Taking out 40 per cent to 50 per cent of the current garbage generated by households and diverting it to the new weekly Green Bin program starting Oct. 31 will mean garbage collection can shift to an every-other-week schedule.

Along with being less garbage, the waste that remains in the garbage stream for collection will no longer include the food waste and pet waste – removing most of the smelly materials from the garbage can.

Every-other-week garbage collection is common in communities that have Green Bin programs, such as:

• Barrie

• Durham

• Guelph

• Niagara Region

• Ottawa

• Peel

• Simcoe County

• Toronto

• Waterloo

A waste management calendar with a map illustrating collection zones and clearly marked collection dates for each zone will be provided to each eligible household before the changes start on Oct. 31. The online tool at peterborough.ca/ReduceWaste and the City’s Waste Management App will be updated to reflect the new collection schedules.

It is expected that the number of garbage bags that each household can put out for collection every other week will be set at four bags from the current limit of two lifts.

Garbage collection in the Downtown Business Improvement Area will not be affected by the waste management service changes, including schedules and requirements for putting out garbage for collection.

Clear bags for garbage

The City is requiring the use of clear bags for curbside garbage collection to improve worker safety. Clear bags help protect garbage collectors from sharp objects that are hidden when inside opaque bags.

Using clear bags also supports waste diversion efforts. The City will accept garbage bags that have some recyclable materials in the garbage – a reasonable approach will be taken to encourage diverting waste from garbage – but using clear bags will allow for education efforts if there is clearly no attempt at sorting out materials for recycling.

Residents will still be able to use a small opaque bag, such as a grocery bag, as a “privacy bag” that could be put into the larger clear bag. The privacy bag could be used for items such as medical prescription containers and other confidential items that a resident may wish to prevent from being seen when the garbage bag is placed at the curbside for collection.

Switching to clear garbage bags has been shown to increase the amount of waste diverted through recycling and composting programs. Waste audits in Peterborough in 2020-2021 found that about 10 per cent of material in curbside garbage bags was recyclable material.

Residents can switch to using clear garbage bags at any time before the official change on Oct. 31. Residents are encouraged to use up their supply of existing opaque garbage bags over the next eight months before the change is required.

All eight townships in Peterborough County already require clear bags for garbage collection. Clear bag garbage supplies should be available in local stores. The City will be contacting suppliers and sharing information for stores ahead of the waste management service changes.

Recycling collection

There are no changes planned to the current weekly recycling collection program, which will continue to be provided on a weekly basis.

The Material Recycling Facility at 390 Pido Rd. has an area for dropping off materials that is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

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Curbside Green Waste Collection Extended to Friday

The City of Peterborough's curbside collection of green waste has been extended one week, ending on Friday.

File Photo.

The collection was originally scheduled to end on Nov. 26. Residential leaf and yard waste is accepted and there are no quantity limits when set out following the collection guidelines.

Each bag or container must weigh less than 22 kg. Brush can be tied in bundles weighing not more than 22 kg, with a length of up to one metre and a diameter of up to 30.5 cm.

Paper yard waste bags, bushel baskets or garbage bins with yellow Green Waste labels will be picked up on the same day as garbage and recycling collection. Plastic bags are not accepted.

After Friday, curbside green waste collection will resume in spring 2023.

Green waste is accepted year-round at the Peterborough Waste Management Facility (landfill) at 1260 Bensfort Rd. There is a minimum charge of $7 per load, or $95 per tonne.

For more details, residents can call the waste management division at 705-742-7777 ext. 1657 or visit the City of Peterborough website www.peterborough.ca/waste.

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Green Waste Collection Runs Until Nov. 25

The City of Peterborough is continuing its weekly Green Waste Collection through Nov. 25.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

All leaf and yard waste are accepted with no quantity limit. All individual bags or containers must not exceed 22 kg (50 lbs). Brush can be tied in bundles weighing not more than the same weight with a length of up to 1 m (3 ft) and a diameter of up to 30.5 cm (12 in).

The City says green waste should be put out after 6 p.m. the night before or no later than 7 a.m. the morning of your regular waste collection. 

Place in paper yard waste bags, bushel baskets or garbage bins with yellow "Green Waste" labels. Plastic bags are not accepted. 

The City urges everyone to not rake fallen leaves on the road since they can clog storm drains and create slippery conditions.

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Special Curbside Green Waste Collection Underway After May Storm

A special curbside green waste collection to collect debris from the storm on May 21 that is too large for the City’s regular green waste collection service is now underway.

Photo courtesy of The City of Peterborough.

The City of Peterborough Public Works crews will complete an initial sweep of City streets this week to collect debris put curbside on City boulevards.

Next week a second sweep will begin to collect brush that has been left curbside. The collection will take an estimated six to eight weeks to complete as Public Works crews balance the special curbside green waste collection with other service delivery needs.

The timing for collection will be based on the availability of resources to deploy. Residents should put green waste debris to the curbside for collection.

Residents are asked to not create sight line issues for pedestrians and motorists when placing debris curbside, and to avoid blocking sidewalks or restricting the roadway in any way.

When the special green waste collection service is completed, residents can use the City’s regular green waste collection service or they can take green waste to the landfill on Bensfort Road.

There is no limit on the quantity of green waste that can be placed at the curb through the City's regular green waste collection service; however, it must be put out within guidelines on sizes and weights to allow crews to handle the material:

Green waste includes brush, branches, hedge and tree trimmings, grass clippings, leaves, house and garden plants, trimmings, and small quantities of sod (within weight limits).

All brush and branches must be tied in bundles up to one metre (three feet) in length and 30 centimetres (12 inches) in diameter, weighing no more than 23 kilograms (50 pounds). Larger size items cannot be loaded into the collection vehicle.

In addition to the curbside green waste collection services, the City is temporarily waiving fees for the disposal of green waste generated by the storm at the landfill on Bensfort Road until June 30, 2022. After June 30, 2022, regular disposal fees for green waste at the landfill will resume.

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Temporary Green Waste Drop Off Site Meant To Mitigate Storm Debris Will Close This Weekend

The temporary green waste drop-off site at 425 Kennedy Rd. will be closing as of 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

File Photo.

The site will be open daily from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. until end of day Sunday for residents to drop off debris from trees and brush resulting from the storm on May 21.

Green waste resulting from the storm can be dropped off at the Landfill at 1260 Bensfort Rd.  free of charge until June 30, at which time normal green waste tipping rates will apply. Regular curbside collection of yard waste continues, with no limits on quantity but size and weight guidelines in place.

A special curbside collection for storm-related green waste, including trees and tree limbs that are beyond the sizes and weights accepted through regular collection, is planned later this season. It is expected to take several weeks before the City can divert resources to cleaning up piles of green waste debris from private property that is placed on City boulevards.

The temporary disposal site on Kennedy Road has been operating seven days a week since May 28 as part of storm recovery efforts.

For more information about green waste collection and disposal, please visit peterborough.ca/GreenWaste or call 705-742-7777 ext. 1657.

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Weekly Collection Of Yard Waste Resumes In The City

Curbside green waste collection has resumed and continues until the last week of November in The City of Peterborough.

File Photo.

All leaf and yard waste are accepted. There is no quantity limit, but individual bags or containers must not exceed 22 kg (50 lbs). Brush can be tied in bundles weighing not more than 22 kg (50 lbs), with a length of up to 1 m (3 ft) and a diameter of up to 30.5 cm (12 in).

Green waste should be put out after 6 p.m. the night before or no later than 7 a.m. the morning of your regular waste collection. 

Place in paper yard waste bags, bushel baskets or garbage bins with yellow "Green Waste" labels. Plastic bags are not accepted. 

Yellow "Green Waste" labels can be picked up at City Hall, 500 George St. N., Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., except statutory holidays.

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