Green Waste and Composting

Green waste

The City of Peterborough's green waste or yard waste collection begins the first Monday in April and ends the last Friday in November each year.

If we missed your green waste, let us know by completing our online form

You can put out unlimited quantities of yard waste when it's in reusable containers that are labelled, bushel baskets or paper yard waste bags.

• Do not use plastic bags for yard waste.
• Each bag and container needs to weigh less than 22 kg (50 lbs) and be shorter than 1 m (3 ft).
• Brush can be tied in bundles weighing not more than 22 kg (50 lbs), with a length of up to 1 m (3 ft) and a diameter of up to 30.5 cm (12 inches).
• Green waste should be put out after 6 p.m. the night before or no later than 7 a.m. the morning of your collection.
• You can get green waste labels for no charge at City Hall, 500 George St. N.

Green waste accepted materials

Leaves, brush, branches, hedge and tree trimmings Christmas trees – decorations removed Grass clippings, lawn edging with soils removed House and garden plants, trimmings Small quantities of sod, within the weight limit

Green waste unacceptable materials

Soil and stones Stumps Large quantities of sod Brush over the maximum dimensions Pet waste

You can also dispose of green yard waste at the Peterborough landfill at 1260 Bensfort Rd. in Otonabee-South Monaghan.

Composting

Using a backyard composter is a great way to manage your waste at home – and a way to produce your own compost. Leaves, yard waste, and some food waste (e.g., coffee grounds, vegetable peelings, and fruit scraps) can be composted in your backyard with a composter. It benefits the environment by reducing the amount of waste going to landfill and reducing the production of greenhouse gases.

You can check with Peterborough GreenUP for helpful advice on composting.

We don't recommend putting meat, fish, bones, fatty foods or dairy products in your backyard composter as they can cause odours and attract pests.“Composting completes the food cycle by returning plant scrap nutrients to the soil,” states Danica Jarvis, GreenUP Environmental Education Coordinator. “Many gardeners refer to compost as ‘black gold', mostly due to its dark, earthy colour and nutrient-rich content that is a valuable addition to your beds.”

You can buy a composter at City Hall, 500 George St. N., or at the Household Hazardous Waste Depot, 400 Pido Rd.

GROW Peterborough

The City is implementing a city-wide organic waste collection and composting program, GROW (Green Resource Organics Works) Peterborough, with support from the federal government's Low Carbon Economy Fund. The program is expected to launch in fall 2023 after consultation, getting the necessary approvals, designing and building the centralized composting facility, acquiring the collection equipment including containers, trucks, and rolling out city-wide collection.

The federal government is contributing $6.1 million toward the $15.3-million project.

A city-wide organic waste collection and processing program will help Peterborough achieve the goals of the Waste Free Ontario Act, which aims to divert 100% of organic material from landfills with an expected ban on landfilling organics by 2022.

Organic material makes up about 40% of residential waste in Canada. At full capacity, our GROW centralized composting facility could be designed to accept up to 40,000 tonnes of organic material per year from the City and County of Peterborough.

Find out more about the GROW Project

Curbside collection schedule