Tips On Using Your Organic Container
Did you know that, since the Green Bin Program started, Vancouver households have reduced the amount of garbage going to the landfill by 40%?
Tips On How To Use Your Organic Container
Did you know that, since the Green Bin Program started, Vancouver households have reduced the amount of garbage going to the landfill by 40%?
But we can still do better!
Read on for no-fuss, no-mess tips for easily recycling your food scraps – without odours or pests – and help us become the greenest city in the world by 2020!
Tips For Your Kitchen Container
LINE IT
- Line your kitchen container with newspaper, not plastic- or biodegradable plastic bags.
USE IT
- Drain excess liquids from your food scraps down the sink.
- Wrap your food scraps in newspaper, paper towel, or a paper bag before placing them into your kitchen container.
- Shut the lid when you don’t use it.
- Freeze smelly food scraps in a container or zipper-top bag until collection day.
- Capture fruit flies in a bowl of vinegar covered with plastic wrap, pricked with a few holes.
EMPTY IT
- Empty it often into your Green Bin.
CLEAN IT
- Rinse your kitchen container after emptying it.
- Sprinkle baking soda in the bottom to remove odours and deter insects.
Tips For Your Green Bin
STORE IT
- Store your bin outside in a shady, flat, and ventilated location.
- Keep the lid closed.
- Place the bin away from fences and deck railings to avoid animals getting inside or knocking it over. Otherwise, secure the bin with a bungee cord.
- If animals chew on the bin, rub peppermint oil, hot sauce, cayenne, or chili powder on the chewed spot.
USE IT
- Line your bin with newsprint, cardboard, or yard trimmings before adding your food scraps to absorb liquid.
- Keep the contents of your bin dry by alternating a layer of food scraps with a layer of leaves, grass clippings, or dead plants. Let the leaves and grass clippings dry first.
- Set your bin out for collection every week, even if it isn’t full.
- Eliminate maggots with salt or vinegar.
- Capture fruit flies in a bowl of vinegar covered with plastic wrap, pricked with a few holes.
CLEAN IT
- Rinse your bin occasionally with a garden hose, mild detergent, or vinegar and water solution. If you want to, hire a private company to clean your bin (see below).