Food waste (compost) collection

Food waste is an extremely valuable resource which shouldn’t simply by thrown in the garbage. It’s packed with useful nutrients which can be reused to help plants grow and when it is disposed of in a landfill can actually cause harm to our environment.

The city of Montréal has been gradually implementing a food waste collection throughout the city in order to reach the current target of a food waste collection available everywhere and for everyone by 2025.

If you live in a building containing 8 units or less in the Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce borough, you already have access to a food waste collection. You can obtain a brown bin and a kitchen counter top bin by visiting our office during our opening hours with a recent proof of address.

If you live in or manage a building with 9 or more units, manage a business, or you are part of a public institution (public school, church, non-profit organisation), you might not have access to a food waste collection yet. Please see the map below for the expected implementation schedule.

Expected implementation schedule for buildings with 9 units or more as well as businesses and institutions

Tips and advice

Compostable bags

Paper bags are recommended over compostable plastic bags. If you do use compostable plastic bags, they must be marked “compostable” and not “biodegradable”. You can easily find compostable bags at grocery stores, pharmacies, department stores, .and hardware stores. Otherwise, if you prefer not to use bags, we suggest putting some newspaper in the bottom of your bin to absorb liquids and to wrap meat and fish leftovers in newspaper before putting them in the bin.

Bin maintenance

  • Keep the bin out of the sun and put it curbside every week, regardless of the amount of materials in it
  • Sprinkle some baking soda in your bin
  • To keep squirrels or raccoons out of the brown bin, apply some mint, camphor, or eucalyptus cough ointment around the bin’s opening
  • Refrain from putting liquids (ex. milk, juice, soup) in your bins
  • Wrap leftover meat and fish in newspaper or put them in the freezer and take them out on collection day
  • In the winter, place a sheet of newspaper, a paper towel or cardboard in the bottom of the container to prevent the materials from sticking to the walls when frozen
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