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yard waste bags, garbage bags, green bin and blue boxes set out at the curb

Green Bin

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hand holding smartphone displaying the Durham Region Waste App

We're going paperless

  • Download the Durham Region Waste App 
  • Look up and print you schedule using our Waste Schedule tool
  • Set up notifications
  • Use the Know Before you Throw sorting tool
  • Purchase garbage bag tags
  • Book a large item collection
  • Register for the waste assistance program
  • Report a missed collection

Green bins organics are collected on the same day as your recycling every week. Check your collection schedule by downloading the Durham Region Waste App or using our Waste Schedule tool.

Set your green bin on your boulevard or driveway close to the curb (not on the road), no later than 7 a.m. on the day of your collection and no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before.

Use the green bin to separate your organics from your garbage. The organics collected through the green bin program are composted at another facility. Finished compost is then offered back to community members for use on their lawns and gardens through yearly spring compost giveaway events.

Curbside green bin collection

Use guidelines

  • Store the small container in your kitchen in a convenient place
  • Line your kitchen container with a certified compostable bag, paper based product or wrap organics securely in a newspaper. Do not use plastic grocery bags to line your bins
  • Empty your food waste directly into the liner bag, removing plastic wrap from fruit and vegetables
  • When odours are noticeable or the liner bag is nearly full, tie the liner bag closed. Carry your kitchen container and its contents to where you keep your curbside green bin
  • Store the larger curbside green bin in your garage or outside in the shade and lock the lid securely
  • Be sure not to overload your green bin. The weight limit should not exceed 20 kg (44 lbs)

What goes in the green bin?

Not sure what goes in the green bin? Use the Know Before You Throw tool to correctly sort your waste! Here are some examples of green bin waste:

  • Bread, toast, cereal, baked goods and pizza
  • Cake, cookies, pie, muffins and candies
  • Coffee grounds, filters and teabags
  • Dairy products, cheese and yogurt (no containers)
  • Eggs and egg shells
  • Fats & oils, lard, gravy, butter and margarine (no containers)
  • Fruit (no plastic)
  • Hair, pet fur, dryer lint, and feathers
  • Houseplants and flowers
  • Meat, fish & shellfish (including bones and shells)
  • Pasta, couscous, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, flour and grains
  • Vegetables (no plastic, elastics or stickers)
  • Nuts and shells
  • Paper towels, napkins, tissues
  • Paper egg cartons and drink trays
  • Sauces, mayonnaise, salad dressing, syrups, peanut butter, jams and jellies (no containers)
  • Small amounts of shredded paper
  • Soiled paper food packaging

Acceptable liner bags

Only use liner bags that are 100% certified compostable and made from all natural products that will completely break down and become part of the finished compost. Look for liner bags marked with logos showing that they are certified compostable bags.

The use of 100% certified compostable liner bags, paper food, waste bags, or food waste wrapped in newspaper is how Durham Region produces top-quality compost. Biodegradable or oxo biodegradable liner bags are not compostable. Plastic does not completely break down, making it costly and inefficient to separate and remove it from compostable material. Green bins lined with unacceptable liner bags including plastic grocery bags, will not be collected.

biodegradable products institute logo                         compostable.info logo

Curbside bins

Be sure not to overload your green bin. The weight limit should not exceed 20 kg (44 lbs.).

  • Purchase additional bins at the Region of Durham Waste Management Centre located in Whitby. For more information and operating hours, visit the Region's Waste Bin page.
  • Exchange damaged curbside green bins free by calling Service Oshawa at 905-436-3311.

Materials left at the curb?

Before calling Service Oshawa to report a missed collection, please review the common set out mistakes on the Waste Tips page.

Compost giveaway events

Each spring, the Region of Durham offers free compost to community members to thank them for separating and diverting organics and leaf and yard waste from the waste stream. For more information about the compost giveaway, visit the Region's Waste Special Events page.

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Contact Us

© 2022 City of Oshawa

Service Oshawa
1st Floor, West Wing, City Hall
50 Centre St. S.
Oshawa, ON L1H 3Z7

Phone: 905-436-3311
Toll Free: 1-800-667-4292
Email: [email protected]

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