Accepted material:

• Animal bedding (softwood shavings, paper bedding, corn cob bedding)
• Coffee filters/grounds/tea bags
• Fats, oil and grease (never pour down the drain) 
• Flowers – dried/fresh cut
• Food scraps
• Houseplants
• Kitty litter
• Meat absorbent pads
• Pet waste, fur
• Sawdust and wood shavings
• Wooden toothpicks, popsicle sticks

 Bathroom Items:

• Diapers
• Feminine hygiene products
• Hair

 Paper Items - Soiled:

• Butcher paper
• Coffee cups, paper plates, bowls
• Confidential papers/bills and receipts
• Egg cartons
• Fast food paper packaging
• Microwave popcorn bags
• Muffin paper
• Paper towels and napkins
• Pizza box
• Shredded paper (place large quantities in a clear bag beside your green bin)
• Tissues

 Unaccepted Material:

• Candles
• Cigarette butts, tobacco
• Corks (from wine bottles, etc.)
• Dead animals
• Disposable mop sheets
• Dryer lint, dryer sheets
• Ear cleaners, cotton balls, make-up removal pads, dental floss
• Fireplace or BBQ ashes
• Foil
• Gum
• Plastic cutlery
• Plastic items such as food containers (e.g. yogurt or margarine tubs),
• Plastic wrap, baggies, sandwich bags, milk bags
• Plastic/artificial flowers and plants
• Styrofoam
• Vacuum cleaner bags and contents
• Wax paper
• Wood

Make the Most of Your Green Bin!

• Any plastic bag can be used to line your kitchen container or green bin. Always tie the bag before placing inside your green bin.
• If your green bin is overflowing, it may not collect it:

• Please make sure the lid can fully close.
• Extra green bins can be purchased at a Markham Recycling Depot
• Place excess organic material in a clear bag; place beside your green bin
• Your green bin must weigh less than 18 kilograms

• Write your address on your green bin with a permanent marker. This will make it easier for someone to return it to you if it blows away.
• Grass clippings and yard material do not go in the green bin. Mulch the grass and leave it on the lawn.

Keep Critters Away!

• Clean your green bin regularly with vinegar or baking soda.
• Keep the container lid tightly closed and do not overfill.
• Freeze food scraps to reduce odours and pests.
• Put your green bin out by 7 AM on the morning of your collection day, not the night before.
• Never use hot sauce or any kind of burning liquid on your green bin. This can injure our collection crews, pets and wildlife.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Green Bin sales/exchanges have been suspended until further notice to reduce potential transmission of the virus.  Green bins are available at local stores such as Home Depot, Rona, Walmart and Home Hardware.

Note; we can only exchange Markham-branded bins that are broken. 

You can buy a new green bin or kitchen container at:

• Markham's Recycling Depots

(temporarily unavailable at these locations) 

• Community Centres: 
  
  • Angus Glen Community Centre
  • Centennial Community Centre
  • Milliken Mills Community Centre
  • Thornhill Community Centre

Green Bin $25.00

Kitchen Container $10.50

Payment

You can pay by cheque or debit/credit card.

The Region of York processes Markham's Green Bin organics. Find out more about York Region's Green Bin organics processing.