Organics

Victoria Day Holiday Schedule for 
Garbage, Recycling, Organics and Yard Waste Collection

There will be no organics, garbage, recycling, and yard waste collection on Victoria Day, Monday, May 21, 2012 in the City of Barrie.

Collection during the week of this holiday will occur ONE day later for the remainder of the week as follows:

The Landfill Site is closed regularly every Sunday and Monday.

Barrie residents are reminded to have their materials at curbside by 7:00 a.m. on their collection day.

For more information please call the City of Barrie at 739-4219.

Organics

City of Barrie's Organics Collection Program is designed to help residents manage their waste differently while helping to divert everyday household organic waste from landfill.

Single family households can include a wide range of items in your organics containers. All food scraps, plate scrapings and paper plates, leftovers, spoiled foods, and other household organics will go into the kitchen organics bin instead of your regular garbage.

Household organics will be taken to a specially designed processing facility where microscopic bacteria digest the blended material and the result is rich and valuable compost.

Curbside/Kitchen Bin Use

Even if you only have a small amount of organics to put curbside each week, please place your organics in the large curbside bin before placing it out for collection. The small kitchen bin is not designed for curbside use and can be easily broken or stolen.

How do I get a curbside/kitchen bin?

Organic Collection bins are available to single family homes. Please call 739-4219 to speak to a staff person who will record your address to have organic kits or components delivered. Organic collection kits or any of the components can also be picked up at the Environmental Centre located at the Barrie Landfill Site at 272 Ferndale Drive North. Hours of operation are Tuesday to Friday, 9:00am to 4:00pm. Photo identification proving Barrie residency must be provided to office staff prior to issuance of bins.

What are acceptable liners that can be used?

• Paper grocery store bags
  Ask your local grocer to package your purchases into PAPER BAGS instead of plastic bags. These paper bags are durable, and if you continue to ask for paper bags you will have an ready supply of paper liners for your containers.
• Paper liquor store bags
  If you make a purchase at the liquor store, have them package your items into their paper bags, and use those bags as liners for your containers.
• Fast food paper bags/ take-out paper food bags
  When purchasing fast food/take-out food most restaurants will package your orders into paper bags. Hang on to these paper bags and use them as a liner for your containers.
• Bakery paper bags
  When purchasing items at the bakery ask for your purchases to be packaged into paper bags.
• Boxboard
  Empty boxboard boxes such as cereal boxes, cracker boxes, granola/breakfast bar boxes can all be used to line your kitchen container.
• Paper leaf and yard waste bags
  Paper leaf and yard waste bags are available at many retailers and are acceptable liners that can be used to line your curbside organics cart.
• Newspaper
  Wrap your organics materials into newspaper before placing it into your containers. Also use newspaper to line your containers, or place at the bottom of your containers to absorb moisture.
• Certified compostable bin liners
  One of the following logos must appear on the compostable bin liners to be 'certified' and acceptable in the City of Barrie's Organics Program:
  

For more information on acceptable bin liners please view this R Waste Fact Sheet on bin liners.

What is Accepted in the Organics Collection Program?

The following is a list of items that are acceptable and unacceptable in the Organics Collection Program. If you include any of the UNACCEPTABLE items in your Organics Cart, the collector will be unable to empty your cart because of contamination and a sticker will be left notifying you of the reason.

Acceptable Items All Food Scraps & Leftovers Fruit and Vegetables Meat and Bones Dairy Products Breads and Grains Rice and Pasta Eggs and Eggshells Cooking Oils and Grease Coffee Grounds and Filters, Tea Bags Wet And Soiled Paper Soiled Newspaper Soiled Paper Towels Soiled Paper Plates Microwave Popcorn Bags Fast Food Drink Trays and Cups Paper Coffee Cups Cheesy Pizza Boxes Paper Take-Out Containers Napkins and Tissues Muffin Paper Cups Paper Egg Cartons Other Household Organics Sawdust Popsicle sticks Toothpicks (Wooden) Wood Wine Corks Wood Ashes (Cold) Dryer Lint and Dust Hair and Pet Hair Paper Bags And Fibre Liners Certified Compostable Liner Bags with approved logos

Unacceptable Items Plastics Plastic Shopping Bags Plastic Food Liner Bags Drinking Straws Sandwich Bags Plastic Wrap Milk Bags Plastic plates and cutlery Blue Box Recyclables Glass Metal/Aluminum Styrofoam Plastic Containers Milk and Juice Cartons Tetra Pak Boxes Pet Waste Kitty Litter Animal Waste Dead Animals Cage Bedding Bathroom Items Diapers Personal Hygiene Products Incontinence Products Baby Wipes Cotton Swabs Medical Waste (i.e. bandages, gauze) Textiles Fabric, Rugs, and Carpet Vacuum bag and contents Other Unacceptable Items Construction and Demolition Waste Sod, Soil or Rocks Wax and Gum Ceramics Treated Wood Hazardous Waste Cigarette Butts Leaf and Yard Wastes

Notes: Please take careful note that PLASTIC SHOPPING BAGS are not accepted in the City of Barrie’s Organics Program because they do not breakdown and therefore contaminate the finished compost material. DO NOT use plastic bags because they are not acceptable and your organics cart will not be collected. Also, please ensure that your paper bags do not have a layer of plastic film. For more information on what goes in and what doesn't please view this R Waste Fact Sheet on the proper use of your organics bin.

When do residents place their Organics Cart curbside for collection?

Wheeled organics carts can be placed out for collection on your normal weekly collection day. Materials must be placed curbside by 7:00 a.m. as in all other curbside collection programs. Organics carts must not exceed 20kgs (45lbs).

Why are organics and garbage collected by the same collection truck?

Garbage and organics are collected by a 'split' collection truck. The same collection truck will hold both materials however it does NOT mix these materials together. This split collection truck has two separated units for two different types of materials. The collector places the garbage material into the one side of the truck, and the organics into the other side. They are completely separated and do not get intermixed with each other. A similar split truck also collects your recyclables in which your container items are placed into one separated area, while the paper recyclables are placed into the other separated area. These trucks are split this way to make the collection more efficient.

How do I keep food scraps from freezing to the collection bins during cold weather?

• If you have a garage, keep your organics cart in it.
• 'Begin By Lining Your Bin!' Line your bin with crumpled newspaper, boxboard, fibre egg cartons, certified compostable bin liners or large paper bags to keep waste from freezing to the sides and bottom of the bin.
• Put waste in boxboard, paper bags, certified compostable bin liners or wrap in newspaper before putting in the curbside bin.
• Place lined kitchen organic bin in the freezer, place contents of the kitchen bin in the curbside bin just prior to collection.

How can I eliminate odours?

Wrap your organics in newspaper before placing it in the kitchen organics bin. This will help to reduce odours and absorb moisture.

What can I do to prevent maggots from forming in my organics container?

Your best line of defense to prevent maggots from appearing in your containers is cleanliness.

• Remove all residual liquid from the bottom of your bin after collection to detract flies.
• Wrap food wastes in newspaper, boxboard or certified compostable bin liners before putting them in your organics container (you may wish to also line the containers with a paper bag to provide an extra lining).
• Freeze or refrigerate food scraps (in newspaper, paper bags or certified compostable bin liners). Then, place them into your organics cart when you are ready to take it out to the curb.
• Keep the lid on your organics cart tightly closed (make sure the latch snaps shut).
• Place your organics cart out for collection every week on your scheduled collection day, even if it's only partially full.
• Rinse and wash out your organics containers regularly with water (water and vinegar mix) and/or a mild cleaning agent especially after collection. Please wash and rinse cart over a landscaped area like lawn or shrubbery, not near gutters or storm drains, as the rinse water might wash down storm drains, etc. which leads directly to local creeks and waterways.
• Store your cart in a well ventilated area.
• When cleaning out your refrigerator try to do it a day or two before your collection day, not the day after your collection.
• Line the bottom of your containers with newspaper (crumpled up), boxboard, fibre egg cartons, or fibre take-out drink trays (i.e. drink trays from Tim Horton's), to keep the material from sticking to the bottom.

If you have discovered maggots or flies in your organics container please try the following measures to get rid of them and/or prevent them from returning:

• Sprinkle salt or vinegar on maggots to kill them. You can also line the outer rim of the cart with salt or vinegar to prevent pests from entering the container through the lid. Rock salt or lime sprinkled in the cart will also help prevent them.
• Diatomaceous Earth is a natural fossil product that kills maggots, slugs, etc. You can use this product to kill any maggots that appear. It is sold through gardening stores, nurseries, and hydroponic stores including Bradford Greenhouses - Garden Gallery, 4346 County Rd 90 at 27. It retails around $10.00.
• Rinse out your bin with a mild cleaning agent or water/vinegar mix to get rid of any larvae still remaining in the bin.
• Capture fruit flies with a bowl of vinegar covered with plastic wrap with several small holes poked in it.

Note: This problem cannot be guaranteed to be totally eliminated. Maggots do occur in these types of environments. Residents in other municipalities with organics programs have also experienced them, especially in the warmer months. The best preventative measure is to keep your bins clean. Maggots are insect larvae, and if you should happen to find maggots in your container that means that a fly was able to lay eggs on some exposed waste. Maggots have a 7-day life cycle.

For more information on overcoming problems with your organics bin please view this R' Waste Fact Sheet.

Can Leaf and Yard Waste be placed in the Organics Containers?

No, do not place leaf and yard waste in your organics containers or your organics cart will not be emptied.

Your leaf and yard waste items will be collected by another designated collection truck, so please continue to set out leaf and yard waste separately on the appropriate day.

Why are plastic bags, diapers and bathroom items not accepted in Barrie's Organics Collection Program?

These items are not accepted in Barrie's Organics Program because the end-product made from all organic material collected will be a high grade composting product used in agriculture and soil remediation applications. The processor that receives all of Barrie's collected organic material will not accept plastics in their composting product because they will contaminate the end product. Processors that accept plastics must screen them out and the end product is a much lower-grade of compost.

Since plastic bags are not accepted in Barrie's Organics Program, residents are encouraged to use fibre based products or certified compostable bin liners as liners if they wish. You may also wish to wrap your organics in newspaper before placing them in the kitchen organics bin. This will help to reduce odours and absorb moisture.