Food waste

What goes in the brown bin?

Ask yourself two questions when wondering whether you should put an item in your brown bin for the food waste collection (or for the organic material collection): 

• Is it edible?
• Is it paper or cardboard with traces of water or food on it?

If you answered yes to either of these questions, it goes in the brown bin. 

Help to make compost and reduce soil pollution

Why should you take part in the collection? Because today, in Québec, food waste and soiled cellulose packaging still represents nearly 60 per cent of household waste content. This trash is landfilled, where it pollutes our soil.

Material in your brown bin is composted. It creates a natural fertilizer for our soil and is good for the environment.

Food waste, green waste or organic waste? 

These three words are used to designate materials that are composted. The waste treatment centre where your materials are sent (one in the east of Montréal, the other in the west) determines what you can put in your brown bin depending on where you live. 

• In some boroughs, food waste (leftover food, soiled cardboard and paper) is collected separately from green waste (leaves, cut grass, etc.).
• In other boroughs, one collection includes both green waste and food waste. This is the organic waste collection.