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Food Scraps & Yard Trimmings

Curbside Green Cart Recycling

Richmond Green Cart recycling program is available to all Richmond residents to ensure they have a convenient service to recycle food scraps, and yard and garden trimmings, which are banned from the garbage.

How to Use Green Cart
When you recycle with your Green Cart, you are helping to turn food scraps and yard trimmings into compost for nutrient-rich soil. It's easy and convenient - just follow four simple steps. You're also contributing toward our objective of 80% waste diversion by 2020.

Four Simple Steps to Recycle with Green Cart

Step 1: Collect food scraps in your kitchen container.

Step 2: Empty materials from your kitchen container into your Green Cart.

Step 3: Place yard trimmings into your Green Cart along with your food scraps. (Extra yard trimmings can go in large paper yard waste bags or additional labeled Green Cans.) Please note that plastic bags including compostable/biodegradable plastic bags are NOT accepted.

Step 4: Place your Green Cart at the curb along with unlimited paper yard waste bags and/or Green Cans by 7:30 a.m. on your regular collection day.

What Goes in Your Green Cart
Please use your Green Cart to recycle yard trimmings and food scraps. See table below for a list of accepted and not accepted items.

What Goes in Your Green Cart

Accepted Not Accepted
  • Fruit and vegetable peelings (e.g. potatoes, corn cobs & husk)
  • Bread, pasta, rice, noodles, (e.g. flour or grain products)
  • Coffee grounds, filters and tea bags
  • Newspaper for lining container or wrapping food scraps
  • Paper plates, towels, napkins
  • Paper bag liners
  • Table scraps and food scrapings
  • Meat, fish, shellfish, bones and poultry
  • Yard trimmings and grass clippings
  • All paper take-out containers (e.g. french fries containers, paper bags, etc.)
  • Fat and grease solids
  • Small amounts of cooking oil that can be wiped up and absorbed with paper towel or newspaper**
 ** Larger amounts of used cooking oil, such as oil from fryers, are not accepted in the Green Cart but can be dropped off in sealed containers at the Richmond Recycling Depot.
  • Biodegradable or compostable plastic bags
  • Liquids including vegetable oil*
  • Plastic bags* 
  • Pet feces or kitty litter
  • Garbage or recyclable
  • Wood
  • Demolition/construction materials
  • Dirt, rocks or sod
  • Styrofoam materials such as cups, meat trays, plates or take-out containers*
  • Large amounts of liquids including cooking oil from fryers*

*Accepted for drop-off recycling at Richmond Recycling Depot 

 

Tips for Using Bundles and Green Cans
Additional food scraps and yard trimmings can be placed in labeled Green Cans and/or paper yard waste bags (trimmings only).

  • Ensure Green Can label faces the street to ensure it's easy for collectors to spot
  • Containers cannot exceed 80 L in capacity and cannot weigh more than 20 kg
    (44 lbs)
  • Keep lids on tight to minimize extra weight from water and keep animals out
  • When closing full yard waste bags tightly fold and secure top of bag
  • Ensure yard trimmings are tied bundles no larger than 3 feet x 2 feet
    (91 cm x 61 cm) in size and branches must be less than 4 inches in diameter
  • Green Can decals can be picked up at City Hall, Recycling Depot or email Environmental Programs (garbageandrecycling@richmond.ca) for the decals to be mailed to your address. 

Cart Delivery or Exchanges
To order a Green Cart or exchange your cart for a different size, please call the Environmental Programs Information Line at 604-276-4010. The cost to exchange a Green Cart is $25.

Green Cart Sizes

Related Links and Resources
Food Scraps and Yard Trimmings Recycling Tips
PDF Document Instructions to fold newspaper bin liner
Video instructions to fold newspaper bin liner 
About Green Recycling
Recycling Depot
Composting at Home

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