Green Can and Yard Trimmings

Green Can and yard trimmings are collected every week

Organics, which includes food scraps and yard trimmings, are banned from being disposed of as garbage and should be placed in your Green Can, yard trimmings container or backyard compost.

Limits and set-out instructions

Place food scraps and food-soiled paper in a Green Can between 45 to 60 litres.
Place grass clippings, leaves, small trimmings, plants and flowers in a lidded 77-litre can with a Yard Trimmings decal. Kraft paper bags with folded tops are also accepted.
Limit of six yard trimmings cans, bins or bundles, including Green Can(s), per collection day.

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Bundle twigs and branches with bio-degradable string or twine. No wire, nylon or plastic strapping is allowed. Place bundles beside (not inside) cans. Maximum bundle size is one metre long and 30 centimetres in diameter, and maximum branch thickness is 7.5 centimetres.
Maximum weight per can, bag or bundle is 20 kilograms.

All materials must be set out between 5 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. on the day of collection.

What goes in

What goes into your Green Can:

all food scraps, food-soiled paper (napkins, paper towels, and newspaper), wooden chopsticks and popsicle sticks

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small amounts of yard trimmings

Visit Metro Vancouver's website to learn more about food scraps recycling.

What goes into your yard trimmings:

grass clippings, leaves, weeds, brush and branches
plants and flowers, living or dead/dried
plant, tree or hedge prunings less than three inches in diameter and no more than three feet long (tied with compostable twine)
Christmas trees cut to fit into container (no tinsel, decorations or stands)
Halloween pumpkins, broken into pieces

What stays out of your Green Can and yard trimmings:
- garbage
- garden hoses, flower pots or other non-organic materials
- giant hogweed and knotweed cuttings - for more information about proper disposal of giant hogweed, knotweed and other invasive plants species, please visit Invasive Plants
- painted or treated wood
- parchment paper
- pet waste or animal droppings
- plastic bags, even those labelled biodegradable or compostable, are not allowed
- plastic, glass, cans or paper
- prunings larger than 7.5 centimetres in diameter or longer than one metre
- rocks, dirt, or sod
Improperly managed waste is the cause of 80% of interactions between humans and bears on the North Shore. Collection rules, such as set-out times, are included in our bylaw to deter animals and reduce wildlife attractants.
- Keep your garbage and Green Can in your garage, basement or a wildlife-secure location during the week.
- Set materials out after 5 a.m. on collection day, and not the night before.
- Bring materials in by 9 p.m. and store containers in a wildlife-secure location.
Tips:

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- To minimize odours, freeze your food waste and put it out the morning of collection.
- Wrap food scraps in newsprint to soak up liquids and odours.
- Wash your containers with a mild soap or vinegar and water solution to reduce odours.
Learn more about bears, coyotes, and other wildlife.
Backyard composting is the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to recycle food scraps and yard trimmings. If you are composting at home, thank you and please continue. You are diverting waste from the landfill and getting a rich fertilizer for your garden.

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Common backyard weeds and invasive plants should not be added to your backyard compost but can be added to your curbside yard trimmings’ collection, except for giant hogweed and knotweed which require special attention and care. For a full list of invasive species and how to manage them, please visit invasive plants.

Need a Backyard Composter?

Backyard composters are available to all Metro Vancouver residents through the City Farmer backyard composter distribution program. Bins are $35 (cash only) and can be picked up from the compost demonstration garden in Vancouver. Call 604-736-2250 to reserve a composter and schedule a pick-up time.

For more information, here is the dirt on backyard composting.
Replacement decals are free. If you need Green Can or yard trimmings decals, please email us and provide your address and the number of decals you require or pick up the decals at Municipal Hall (750 17th Street).

Green Cans and garbage cans can be purchased at a local retailer. Please consult the collection guide, or the Green Can and yard trimmings or garbage webpages for size requirements.