Did you know that over half of household waste can be diverted from the landfill either by composting or recycling? In Is privatization of recycling a good thing, I wrote about our local municipal recycling program and the Waste Whiz app. Today, I’m asking an important question—Why doesn’t everyone use their green bin?

This post was originally published in July 2020 as “Why doesn’t everyone use their green bin?” and updated in May 2023.

A quick survey of what’s on the curb in my neighbourhood on garbage day reveals that about two-thirds of households are using their green bins. This is pretty good, but I have to wonder why it’s not 100%.

Today, I’m looking at the benefits of green bin programs and the number one reason people don’t use their bins. Plus, some tips to make green binning easier.

History of our green bin program

Waterloo Region introduced the green bin program in 2006. It was rolled out region-wide following a successful pilot program. In the pilot, 90% of households adopted the bins. Ten years later, overall participation was below 35%, putting the program in a deficit.

In 2017, the region made changes to our waste collection. They continued weekly pick-up of blue box and green bin waste. To encourage usage of these programs, collection of other waste was reduced to every two weeks and bag limits were introduced.  

Following that change, green bin use doubled. According to the Region of Waterloo Waste Management 2019 Annual Report, 65% of our waste was diverted from the landfill using the blue box and green bin programs. That’s amazing!

Benefits of the program

Putting waste in the green bin has three key benefits:

• The material is turned into compost used by farmers and landscapers. This compost replaces chemical fertilizers that can seep into our groundwater and contaminate our drinking water wells.
• The waste diverted by the program extends the life of our landfill. It used to take six months to fill one garbage layer in the landfill. Now, it’s nine months.
• When organic waste decays in the landfill, it produces methane gas. Diverting this waste reduces greenhouse gas emissions, a major contributor to climate change.

Despite the obvious benefits, we still have about one-third of residents not participating in the program.

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Why don’t people use their green bins?

When I ask people why they don’t use their green bins, the number one reason is “It’s smelly and gross…and UGH the maggots in summertime!”

While I agree that the bins can be smelly and gross in the summertime and I’m not a fan of maggots, this argument doesn’t make sense to me. Even before the green bin, our garbage in summer was smelly and gross and yes…there were maggots.

Personally, I’d rather use the bin and have it collected weekly than have smelly garbage bags lying around for two weeks.

Tips to make green binning easier

There are ways to reduce the mess and smell. Here are some tips to make using your green bin easier:

• Line the bin using paper or certified compostable plastic liner bags.
• Layer food waste with paper waste like tissues, paper towels or shredded paper. This will absorb liquids and reduce odours.
• Keep the bin in a shaded area out of direct sunlight.
• Wash your green bin frequently.
• When preparing food, put a couple of sheets of newspaper on the counter, then roll it up with the food waste and put it in the bin.
• Some people put meat waste and bones in the freezer until garbage day. That’s a good idea if you have enough room in your freezer, but it wouldn’t work in our house.

Between the blue box and green bin programs, we’ve been able to reduce our household waste to one bag of regular garbage every two weeks. These programs work! We just need to get everyone onboard.

Do you use your green bin? Do you have tips to share? Tell us below.