Our waste system depends on you to be successful, and that starts with sorting materials correctly. The green cart is used to collect organic materials. 

Get to know your green cart

Your green cart is for more than just grass clippings and yard waste. Organics are mostly food scraps and yard waste, but soiled papers, pizza boxes, shredded paper and pet waste can go in the green cart as well.

The organics cart is not a composter. The commercial composting facility that takes our materials can handle many organic items that are not suitable for backyard composters.

Make sure you only put organic materials in the green cart, see below for common organics materials. Remember to remove plastic wrappers, bags and containers from food before you throw them in the green cart. Green carts with non-organic materials will not be collected because they contaminate the rest of the organics in the truck. This increases processing costs and the final compost may not be usable.

When putting your cart out for collection remember:

• All organics must fit inside the cart with the lid closed
• Materials left outside the cart will not be collected
• Carts must weigh less than 200 lbs (90 kgs)
• There should be 3 feet (1 metre) of space on all sides, and clear above the cart

Garburators

We don't recommend using a garburator to dispose of food scraps as it increases the chance of sewer backups. Over time, the organic material will collect in the pipes which can lead to a blockage.

Compostable vs biodegradable bags

If you choose to use a bag to collect your organics, make sure you are using certified compostable bags. Plastic and biodegradable bags are not acceptable in the green cart.

Certified compostable bags can be purchased at most grocery or home hardware stores in Sherwood Park. Quantity and availability of bags may vary by store.

Acceptable Compostable bags: are made from a food by-product such as corn starch and break down into compost are usually opaque feel softer than than plastic bags have the certified compostable logo. There are some brands that say compostable but are actually biodegradable so be sure to check for the logo. Look for this logo:

Unacceptable Biodegradable bags are made with plastic that  breaks down into small pieces but does not decompose contaminate the final compost, making the whole batch un-usable can be used for waste in the black waste cart, but not the green organics cart

You can also use newspaper or a paper bag to line your green kitchen catcher. If you have particularly wet organics, wrap them in newspaper or paper towel to help absorb the liquid. 

What happens to your organics?

Both processes take about one year. Because the composting happens at an industrial scale, the organic materials reach high temperatures. This allows us to include meats, dairy products, pet waste and other organic materials that cannot go in a backyard compost pile.

Organics in landfills

Did you know that organic materials don't break down in a landfill? Landfills are sealed tightly so air and water can't get to the organic materials which stops them from decomposing. It can take decades for a simple banana peel to break down in a landfill!

We showed residents pictures of items that were dug up in a landfill after being buried for 40 years. Here are their reactions. If these items were sent for composting instead, it would take about a year to break down.

 

 

Think you can’t make a difference? Think again. Don’t be a landfiller. 

Need an extra organics cart?

Extra organics carts are available for an additional monthly fee. Call Utilities at 780-449-5514 for details.