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.

Markham-branded green bins that are broken or damaged, can be exchanged at any Markham Recycling Depot. $5.50 fee applies.

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

• Markham's Recycling Depots
  
• Community Centres: (temporarily unavailable at these locations) 
  
  • 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.