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).