Green Bin

Collected every week on your regular collection day. Set out at the curb by 7:00 AM on the morning of your collection or after 7:00 PM the night before. 

1. Use any plastic bag to line your kitchen container and green bin;
2. Make sure your green bin weighs less than 18kilograms;
3. Lid must be fully closed:
   • Use a clear bag for excess organic material and place beside your green bin at the curb;
4. Keep critters away:
   • Clean your green bin regularly — dish soap, vinegar and baking soda works well;
   • Set out the morning of your collection day, not the night before;
5. Use a kitchen container or other small bin to collect orgainc material in the bathroom, like tissues, empty toilet paper rolls and sanitary products. Remember to remove all plastic packaging.  

Organics recycling is one of the easiest things you can do to help our environment. Keeping organic waste out of landfill reduces the methane that contributes to greenhouse gases. 

Food and food scraps

• Bones – meat and seafood
• Egg shells
• Coffee grounds, tea bags
• Fats, oil and grease (F.O.G) go in the green bin, NOT down the drain! To learn more, visit Protect Your Pipes!

Soiled paper and paper products

• Paper coffee cups (no lids)
• Paper towels, napkins and tissues
• Soiled paper plates and pizza boxes
• Small amounts of shredded paper

Other

• Diapers, adult briefs and feminine hygiene products
• Hair and fur
• Pet waste and kitty litter

For more items that go in your green bin, use the What Goes Where search tool to help you recycle right, recycle more!

You can buy green bins and kitchen containers at any Markham Recycling Depot. To find a location near you, visit the Recycling Depots & Drop Off Centres homepage. 

Exchange Policy

Broken or damaged Markham-branded green bins can be exchanged at Markham Recycling Depots only. $5.50 fee applies. Kitchen containers cannot be exchanged. 

Green bins and blue boxes are also available for purchase at these community centres:    

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

Green Bin $27.50

Kitchen Container $11.50 (not available at community centre locations) 

Payment

You can pay by cheque or debit/credit card.

Markham's Green Bin Program handles food waste, food-soiled paper and personal hygiene products. Your organic waste is collected every week at the curb and delivered to composting facilities for processing. The final compost is then used as soil nutrient by local agriculture and horticulture operations.

The Region of York manages the processing of the organic material from Markham's green bins. Learn more by visiting York Region's Green Bin Organics Program Homepage.