Why collect organic matter?
To help reduce pollution!
- To reduce the amount of waste sent to landfills.
- To reuse and create new value from organic waste by producing compost and energy.
- To reduce greenhouse gases.
It’s a societal choice!
The Québec government aims to ban organic matter from landfills by 2020 with a view to more healthy and sustainable waste management.
An invaluable resource
In Québec, 57% of the waste we put out for collection is organic matter [1] . The purpose of organic waste collection is to recovery this precious resource and create new value from it.
What to put in the brown bin?
3 Questions to ask!
1. Is it food or something edible?
2. Is it paper or cardboard soiled by food?
3. Is it green waste?
If yes: it goes in the bin!
Waste Accepted and Not Allowed in Brown Bin
Update: January 8, 2019
There is also a useful table on the last pages of your Municipal Calendar.
ORGANIC WASTE MATERIALS ACCEPTED
The following items and similar items:
Kitchen
- Fruits and vegetables, including pits and peels
- Meat – Lamb, beef, horse, poultry (turkey, chicken, etc.), game, venison, rabbit, veal, fish, seafood (except hard-shell mollusks), giblets and guts, cold cuts, sausages, etc.
- Soft-shell crustaceans – Shrimp, lobster, rock lobster
- Meat and fish bones
- Pasta, bread, pastry, cereals (corn, barley, rice, quinoa, etc.), oatmeal, flour, pies, spreads and preserves
- Dairy products – Milk, buttermilk, yogurt, cheese
- Eggs and egg shells, tofu, seaweed
- Nuts of all kinds (without shells)
- Liquids – Juice, alcohol, coffee, tea, herbal tea, paper coffee filters, tea/herbal tea bags, soups, sauces
- Cake, cookies, candy, sweet treats, desserts
- Condiments – Salt, spices, sauces, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, etc.
- Fried foods, edible oils and fats – Animal and vegetable fats, margarine, butter, vegetable oil, etc.
Lawn and Garden
- Garden, lawn and flowerbed waste – grass clippings, flowers, weeds, ragweed, dandelions, plants, honey locust beans, etc.
Other
- Facial tissues, toilet paper, chemical-free paper towels, paper table napkins COVID-19: Do not put potentially contaminated tissues (colds, flu, etc.) in organic materials. Rather, they must be placed in closed containers or waste bags, in the trash, in the same way as soiled masks, wipes and gloves.
- Soiled paper or cardboard food packaging or serving containers – French-fry bags, pizza boxes, pastry boxes or bags, paper or cardboard packaging from fast-food restaurants, cardboard dishes (soiled or clean), paper tablecloths, cardboard egg cartons, popcorn bags, paper hand towels, muffin cups, parchment paper, waxed cardboard, other paper products
- Pet food and biscuits
- Pet excrement (without plastic bag)
- Pet litter – paper, wood-shavings and plant-based (corn, wheat) – Important: no clay clumping litter allowed
WASTE MATERIALS NOT ACCEPTED
Waste materials specifically excluded from organic waste collection are the following:
Kitchen
- Nut shells
- Oyster and mussel shells, lobster claws and crab shells
- Wood and plastic coffee stir sticks
- Toothpicks, wooden kebab skewers
- Wooden fruit boxes or crates
- Single-portion coffee pods
- Cork stoppers
Lawn and Garden
- Tree branches
- Cedar clippings
- Coniferous needles and cones
- Soil, sand, gravel
- Loam and compost
- Wood chips, straw and hay
- Tree trunks
- Fall leaves and spring thatch
Other
- All types of plastic bags are refused, whether biodegradable, oxo-biodegradable or compostable
- Clay clumping litter (pets)
- Ashes
- Cigarette and cigar butts
- Medications, biomedical waste
- Cotton swabs, unless they are cardboard
- Melamine dust or other construction material waste
- All types of pencils and crayons
- Vacuum contents, fluff, lint
- Diapers, sanitary napkins, wet wipes
- Nail clippings, hair, fur (human or animal)
- Recyclable materials, glass, ceramics
- Construction materials
- Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)
- Cosmetics
- Wild animal carcasses
Tips and advice
- Keep your kitchen organic waste bin nearby when cooking.
- Put a bag in your kitchen bin, or wrap your food waste in small bundles using newspaper before placing in bin.
- Don’t put liquids in your kitchen bin.
- Freeze or refrigerate your meat leftovers until the brown bin collection day.
- Frequently transfer the contents of your kitchen bin to the outdoor brown bin and clean the kitchen bin as needed (with a water and vinegar mixture, soap or a gentle detergent).
- Outside, place your brown bin in the shade in an easy-to-access location, behind or at the side of your residence.
- Put your bin streetside for every collection, even when not full.
- Regularly wash your outdoor brown bin with soap or a gentle detergent.
Organic waste collection is provided to buildings with 8 or fewer housing units
Day : Tuesday
Frequency: Every…
TWO WEEKS – November to end of March
WEEK – April to end of October
The exact collection dates are available in Saint-Bruno’s municipal calendar.
Where to place your brown bin
Like the recycling bin (blue box), the brown bin must be put out after 7:00 p.m. on the night before collection or before 7:00 a.m. on collection day.
It must be:
- On your property near the street or sidewalk.
- With it’s handles facing inward toward the residence.
No waste placed beside the brown bin will be collected.
In case of Damage or Moving
If your outdoor brown bin on wheels or your kitchen bin is damaged? Contact the Info-collectes line.
If you move, the outdoor brown bin and kitchen bin must both be left at the residence.
Questions?
Info-collectes: 450 645-2919
stbruno.ca/matieres-organiques