What can't go in your green cart
Keep these items out of our Green Cart food and yard waste program.
Removing these items helps us produce high quality compost that will be used at local farms, gardens and in our community. Make sure you know what acceptable items can go in the compost.
If you don't know where to put an item, check out What Goes Where.
No. Keep these items out of your green cart
No plastic or biodegradable bags
TIP: If using a bag to line your kitchen pail, only use certified compostable bags. If your cart is full, use a paper yard waste bag.
Do not use:
- Yard waste in any type of plastic bag.
- Food waste in any type of plastic bag.
- Produce bags
- Garbage bags
- Biodegradable bags
- Shopping and grocery bags
- Fabric bags
- Plastic pet waste bags
No food or beverage packaging
Preparation: Remove all food from its packaging and put it in your kitchen pail. For packaging disposal options, see What Goes Where.
Do not include:
- Coffee cups
- Foam meat trays
- Takeout containers (foam, foil, and plastic)
- Coffee pods (plastic or compostable)
- Metal food cans
- Plastic containers, bottles and tubs
- Glass jars
- Plastic bags
- Refundable beverage containers
- Aerosol sprays such as whipping cream, cooking oil.
- Fruit or vegetable stickers
No painted or treated wood
For disposal options, see What Goes Where.
Do not include:
- Pressure-treated wood such as deck or fencing wood.
- Manufactured wood - plywood, particle board/oriented strand board (OSB), wood panelling, hardboard (HDF) and (MDF).
- Furniture - wood, wicker, bamboo etc.
No diapers or personal hygiene items
All personal hygiene products belong in your black cart as garbage.
Many hygiene products often contain plastics and are often used for make-up removal, cleaning and other chemicals that do not belong in the green cart.
Do not include:
- Cleaning wipes, makeup wipes and baby wipes
- Cotton swabs/Q-tips
- Diapers
- Tampons, applicators, sanitary napkins and menstrual pads
- Cotton balls
- Any paper products used as toilet paper
No clothing, textiles or fabrics
See disposal options for clothing and fabrics at What Goes Where.
Do not include:
- Clothes (shirts, pants, jackets, shoes etc.)
- Fabric (scraps, cloths, rags etc.)
- Linens (towels, curtains, sheets etc.)
- Cushions and pillows
- Reusable bags
- Blankets
No plastic serviceware
For disposal options, see What Goes Where.
Do not include:
- Plastic plates and containers
- Plastic spoons, forks, knives and straws
- Foam plates and containers
- Compostable plastic takeout containers (cups, plates, bowls, utensils)
Even if these items are marked as "compostable", they are not accepted in the green cart program.
Please note: Compostable bags are ok to use to line your kitchen pail.
Why can't compostable plastic products go in the green cart?
We tested a variety of compostable coffee pods, compostable containers and compostable cutlery.
These items did not break down at the composting facility leaving behind compostable plastic pieces. This contamination increases costs and impacts the quality of the finished compost.
Put compostable plastic items in the garbage.
This compostable plastic spoon went through the composting facility but did not break down.
This compostable coffee cup lid went through the composting facility but did not break down.
This compostable coffee pod went through the composting facility but did not break down.
These compostable plastic items (spoon, coffee cup lid and coffee pod) went through the composting facility but did not break down.