Green Bin Once a Week Collection

Sunday, 11 January 2009

Remember that with the Green Bin Program, your recyclables/garbage collection is now once every other week. This pro-active decision encourages people to save all paper for the Grey Box and to rinse all food containers for the Blue. Since the Green Bin captures food scraps and other acceptable items, such as disposable diapers, that cause odours, people are able to store anything else for an extra week. Considerable tax dollars are saved with a pick-up every other week as well as other benefits including less wear on vehicles and a reduction in air pollution. It also encourages people to Reduce and Reuse.     Most residents recognize that organics are no longer viewed as waste, but as a resource that turns unwanted food into a valuable commodity to serve end markets including pristine golf courses.    With a reported 90% participation in the second week and 270 tonnes of organics collected in the first two weeks, the Green Bin is off to an amazing start. As with any new program, initial growing pains are experienced. Keep the importance of our environment in mind along with a bit of patience while early collection problems are being solved.     What does the Geen Bin hold?     The Green Bin holds: Soiled paper towels, tissues, soiled paper food packaging, fruit and vegetable scraps, meat, fish, bones, skin, fats, pasta, bread, cereal, dairy products, egg shells, coffee grinds with filter, tea bags, candy, diapers/sanitary products, household plants including soil, flowers, animal waste, bedding and litter. Please do not place any plastic items in the Green Bin other than the plastic bag in which you may chose to line it. Visit www.toronto.ca/greenbin http://www.toronto.ca/greenbin      What do the Blue and Grey Boxes hold?     Your Blue Boxes accept: food/beverage glass bottles and jars, tin cans, plastic bottles # 1 & 2, rigid aluminium foil, drinking boxes, gable top milk/juice containers, empty paint tins with lids removed, and empty aerosol cans. The Grey Box includes: newspapers with inserts, magazines, all household paper (not waxed or carbon), gift wrap, cards, cardboard, and boxboard. Please separate plastic film from any catalogues and remove spiral binding from manuals.    What should a garbage bag not hold?     A garbage bag should not contain any recyclables or articles that can be reused. Recently, more Michigan inspectors have been assigned to reject border crossing garbage trucks containing metal. This necessitates our removal of all scrap metal. To do this, we should be finding a suitable location for a 'scrap metal' box in our garages that, when full, can be taken to a recycling depot.