As people across Windsor prepare to enjoy some big meals over the holiday season, the city is reminding everyone to make good use of their green bins.
Senior Manager of Environmental Services Jim Leether says everything from potato skins, turkey bones, used paper towels, and even leftovers are more than welcome in the organic program.
"Trends from other comparable municipalities and cities in Ontario, just up the highway in London and the Toronto area, where this has been going on for decades in some cases, we do expect to see an increase in food waste jumping into the green bin, really helping us with our weight and diversion numbers," he says.
The green bin is just like the blue and red box recycling programs for plastics and paper, only it involves food waste and organic material being collected and sent to Seacliff Energy in Leamington to be converted into a liquid fertilizer.
The goal of the green bin is to help divert organic waste from the landfill at 7700 County Rd. 18 in Essex, which is due to reach capacity in 2040.
Organic waste is collected on a weekly basis in Windsor.
Leether says they've already diverted well over 1,300 tonnes of organic material since the program began October 21 in Windsor.
"This has been a much more successful startup than we had projected. We're seeing a lot more people participating than we had projected right off the start. That's a big credit to the residents in the city who have embraced the program," he says.
Phase one of the green bin collection program began this year in Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Tecumseh, and Windsor, with green bins delivered to homes in those communities this past summer.
Phase two will include Amherstburg, Kingsville, and Leamington and will see green bin delivery in fall 2026.
A note when it comes to garbage collection in the City of Windsor during the holidays.
The city is still doing the additional two-bag collection after the holidays.
Leether says it will look funny on the collection calendar due to the biweekly garbage schedule, but he says you can still put your two bags out for your first two collections after the holidays.