If you can eat it, you can compost it. Some materials that have been soiled by food and water, such as cardboard or paper, also go into the brown bin.

• Check the list of accepted materials

Having a mini-bin in the kitchen or dining room is really helpful. Placing mini-bin elsewhere in your home, such as in the bathroom, will help you remember other compostable materials, like Kleenex.

• Where to put your compost mini-bin

Worried about bad smells and fruit flies? Find out ways to keep them at bay.

• Get tips and tricks for using your brown bin

Food waste collections take place once a week all year long for any building where brown bins have been provided.

• Get your neighbourhood's pickup schedule

If you do not have a brown bin, you can request one. If your bin is damaged, you can have it repaired, or even replaced if it is not repairable.

• Request a brown bin
• Have a brown bin repaired

The difference between these 2 collections is due to the different operations at the 2 processing centres where your materials are sent.

In 15 boroughs, the food waste and green waste collections are separate.

• Find out how the food waste collection works

In 4 other boroughs, there is a single organic waste collection that includes both green waste and food waste.

• Find out how the organic waste collection works

Thanks to your participation in the brown bin collection each week, the city produces its own compost. This nutrient-rich material improves the health of soil and plants.

• Discover the compost centre in western Montréal