The Region of Waterloo collects Kitchener compost bins from single-family homes, legal duplexes, eligible townhouse units, and small apartment buildings (6 units or less) every week. If you’re in an office setting, you can still participate with Kitchener Clean’s office composting program - contact us today to get started!
Kitchener Compost - What You Need To Know
If you don’t know when your green bin will be picked up, you can check the Region’s interactive waste collection map to see when your neighbourhood in on the schedule.
Green bins are provided to all new homeowners in Kitchener. If you need a replacement or additional green bins (free of charge), you can visit the Waste Management Administration offices:
Cambridge: 201 Savage Drive, Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Waterloo: 925 Erb Street West (Gate 1), Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
If your green bin is broken, please bring it when you pick up your replacement as it can be recycled!
What goes in the green bin?
The Kitchener compost program has specific guidelines as to what you can put in your green bin. Be sure, therefore, to consider the following when filling it up:
All food scraps including bones, peelings, shells, baking and cooking ingredients, spoiled, raw, and cooked food (remove all packaging and stickers)
Small amounts of liquids (no more than one cup per green bin)
Some paper products, such as paper plates, paper towels, facial tissue, greasy take-out paper packaging, paper baking cups, shredded paper.
To keep the process more manageable, you can add liner bags to help keep your bin cleaner, which eliminates the need to hose it down every week.
There are two choices for lining your green bin:
Paper liner bags: Paper liner bags made specifically for the green bin are available at local grocery and hardware stores. These bags do not need certification logos. Some have a shiny cellulose lining to give them more wet strength; these are safe to use in our program. As well, you can use any other type of paper bag as a liner, such as paper take-out bags.
Certified compostable plastic (CCP) liner bags: These bags are the only type of plastic that is allowed in our Green Bin program (and accepted by our organics processor), and are identified by specific logos.
Liner bags must have at least one of these logos.
Image source: Greenbinbelleville.ca
Kitchener compost - where it all ends up
Collection crews drop your green bin organics at Region of Waterloo facilities. From there, it’s all loaded into large trucks and shipped in bulk to Guelph's Organic Waste Processing facility.
At Guelph's facility, your organics are mixed with other organics, shredded, and put into a series of tunnels to compost. The conditions in the tunnels are monitored to maximize the breakdown of the organics with oxygen!
After three to four weeks, the compost is screened to separate out any plastics. This screened compost is formed into long piles called “windrows” and is monitored for several weeks while it matures indoors.
After an additional screening, the compost is tested to ensure it meets quality standards. The high-grade finished compost is finally sold to local farmers, who add it to their fields to grow more food.
How to compost at work
As mentioned above, the Kitchener compost program is for smaller dwellings. If you’re in an office setting, you can still participate with Kitchener Clean’s office composting program.
To begin, will receive a green bin to collect all your organic waste and compostable materials, just like at home. All the same items that you would Green Bin at home can be put in the Organic Waste bin in the office. These compostable items will be picked up weekly by an Office Care Technician, at which time you’ll also get a fresh bin.
The organic material collected enters the compost stream in one of four ways: donated to local neighbourhood garden compost piles, sent to the Region’s Compost facility, sent to Davidson Environmental, or used at Kitchener Clean’s Worm Farm where it becomes worm castings (a high grade fertilizer).
As an added bonus, clients can receive a portion of the worm castings generated to be used by any garden enthusiasts on staff! For more, read our articles on how to start composting at the office, and some of the benefits of participating in the program.
Get started with an office compost program today!
Kitchener Compost in the Office Is Possible With Kitchener Clean!
Kitchener Clean is a locally owned and operated family business. We treat our customers like we would treat our own family - with respect.
We value integrity, consistency, and thoroughness with all of our clients.
From its inception, Kitchener Clean has been an environmentally friendly office care company. We use non-toxic cleaning methods to keep you, your staff, and your clients breathing cleaner!
Our reputation is important to us, so we guarantee all of our services. If for any reason you are not completely satisfied, simply contact us and we will return within 24 hours to address your concern at no additional cost.