Organics

If your green bin broke, bring it to your local municipal office, or our office at 30 Centre Street, Orangeville. We’ll take the broken one and get it recycled, and give you a new one at no charge. See New or Replacement Bins page for a list of all locations.

If you just moved to a new place and there isn’t a green bin there, visit a municipal office or our office at 30 Centre Street, Orangeville to receive everything you need to get started. See the New or Replacement Bins page for a list of all locations.

Collecting food waste and other compostable materials reduces the amount of household garbage we dispose of in landfill. The compostable material is converted into a nutrient rich soil additive that can be applied to lawns, gardens and houseplants. Every year, Dufferin County gives away some of the compost that residents help create! Check out the event page to see upcoming events.

The outdoor Green Bins are manufactured with a latch closure that securely seals your Green Bin from any critters. We have special clips available if you are having critter problems. If you do run into any issues, please contact us and we will try to find a solution.

To help avoid odours empty your kitchen container frequently and wash both it and the green bin with hot water. Spraying the inside with vinegar or sprinkling some baking soda will help odours too. Store your green bin in the garage or outside, preferably in a shaded area. Placing a few sheets of newspaper or an egg carton at the bottom of your bin will absorb excess moisture that can trap and cultivate odour-causing bacteria.

Maggots are fly larvae and occur when flies lay eggs on organic waste. You can prevent maggots by wrapping food waste, in particular meat, with newspaper. Typically, they have a 7-day life cycle, depending on temperature and moisture. To get rid of maggots, cover them with salt, lime, vinegar or diatomaceous earth (available at garden centres).

Rinse out your Green Bin with a water and vinegar mix or water with dishwashing soap to get rid of any remaining larvae. Make sure your bin is dry before use. Line the outer rim of the bin with salt or vinegar to keep flies from entering.

Wrapping food waste will help prevent the appearance of fruit flies. To capture fruit flies, put a bit of apple cider vinegar in a bowl or cup and cover with plastic wrap, then poke a few holes in the wrap with a toothpick. The flies will be attracted to the vinegar, but won’t be able to escape once inside the container.

If plastic is mixed in with the compostable materials, it will degrade the quality of the finished compost. The plastic is difficult to separate from the Green Bin contents and contaminates the finished product.

Plastics, such a grocery bags and diapers, are not permitted in the Green Bin program because the composting facility is not set up to handle them and they contaminate the finished compost. Please place diapers in the regular garbage.

Yes. The kitchen container can be washed in the dishwasher or by hand.

Don’t stop! The Green Bin complements your home composting by collecting compostable items that take too long to decompose or produce odours in a backyard composter, such as meats, dairy products and cooking oils.

Compost is a dark, earthy substance, which looks, feels and smells like very rich soil. Compost is a valuable soil conditioner, which improves soil structure, holds moisture and adds important nutrients. Compost is a renewable resource that closes the loop from your kitchen to the garden.

No. Centralized composting achieves temperatures of 55 to 60 degrees celsius. These high temperatures destroy human and plant pathogens during the composting process and the used tissues degrade into sugars, starches and lignin, which are consumed by microbes. The final product is finished compost that can be used by residents on gardens, lawns and as mulch. Laboratory analysis is conducted on the product before it is sold.