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604.984.9730 |
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Office: 148 East 2nd Street
Drop-off Depot: 29 Riverside Drive
North Vancouver, BC, Canada
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use any container to collect food scraps and food-soiled paper in the kitchen. For example, you can reuse large yogurt containers or ice cream buckets with lids or you can use a few sheets of old newspaper to wrap your scraps. You can also buy a kitchen container or small Bag to Earth countertop paper food waste bags from local retailers such as hardware stores or home and garden shops.
Empty your kitchen container into your green can as needed. Freeze or refrigerate meat, fish, bones and plate scrapings until collection day.
Note that kitchen containers are for storing food scraps indoors only and are not accepted curbside.
District of North Vancouver Residents: 
Use one of your existing 77 L lidded yard trimmings cans OR your DNV 360 L or 140 L cart. Use your Green Can Decal to cover your Yard Trimmings Decal.
If you don’t have a yard trimmings can, purchase a 140 L cart from dnv.org or a 77 L lidded can from a local retailer such as a hardware store or home and garden shop. Identify your can with a Green Can Decal. Note that 46 L cans and kitchen containers are not accepted curbside.
Food scraps will not be accepted curbside in the paper yard trimmings bags because they will attract wildlife. If you have multiple cans of yard trimmings, cans with Yard Trimmings Decals will continue to be accepted.
City of North Vancouver Residents:
Use one of your existing 77 L lidded yard trimmings cans. Use your Green Can Decal to cover your Yard Trimmings Decal.
If you don’t have a yard trimmings can, purchase a 77 L lidded can from a local retailer such as a hardware store or home and garden shop. Identify your can with a Green Can Decal. Note that 46 L cans and kitchen containers are not accepted curbside.
Food scraps will not be accepted curbside in the paper yard trimmings bags because they will attract wildlife. If you have multiple cans of yard trimmings, cans with Yard Trimmings Decals will continue to be accepted.
West Vancouver Residents: 
Use the 46 L Green Can that was delivered to your home in May 2012. Residents who received a 'missed you' card instead of a green can may trade in their voucher at Municipal Hall. If you receive municipal garbage collection but did not receive a green can or a 'missed you' card, West Vancouver has a can for you too. For more information, visit westvancouver.ca.
46 L Orbis Wheeled Carts are also available for purchase at local retailers such as hardware stores or home and garden shops. Identify your can with a Green Can Decal.
District of North Vancouver Residents:
Empty the contents of your kitchen container into your green can as needed throughout the week, and layer food scraps with yard trimmings when possible. To keep your food scraps secure from wildlife, freeze or refrigerate meat, fish, bones and plate scrapings until the morning of collection day.
Place your green can curbside with the decal facing the street. If you have multiple cans of yard trimmings, cans with Yard Trimmings Decals will continue to be accepted.
City of North Vancouver Residents:
Empty the contents of your kitchen container into your green can as needed throughout the week, and layer food scraps with yard trimmings when possible. To keep your food scraps secure from wildlife, freeze or refrigerate meat, fish, bones and plate scrapings until the morning of collection day.
Place your green can curbside with the decal facing the street. If you have multiple cans of yard trimmings, cans with Yard Trimmings Decals will continue to be accepted.
West Vancouver Residents:
Empty the contents of your kitchen container into your green can as needed throughout the week and layer food scraps with yard trimmings when possible. Freeze or refrigerate meat, fish, bones and plate scrapings until collection day.
Place your green can curbside with the decal facing the street on the morning of collection day.
All North Shore Residents:
Place your green can curbside the morning of collection, not the night before. Green Cans must not weigh more than 20 kg (44 lbs) when filled and must have lids to deter wildlife and keep out the rain.
Note that food scraps are NOT accepted curbside in paper yard waste bags because they will attract wildlife. However, paper bags inside regulation-sized cans are acceptable.
Decals are available for free at your municipal hall, the North Shore Recycling Program Office and at the Recycling Drop-off Depot. Decals can also be ordered online after May 1, 2012.
Your green can will be collected weekly, year round, on the same day as garbage and recycling. Place your green can curbside the morning of collection, not the night before, to deter wildlife. View your collection schedule here.
You were already putting food scraps outside in the garbage - putting them in a different can does not create a new bear attractant. We can minimize bear-human conflicts by managing our garbage, green can and other bear attractants responsibly.
• Keep your green can in the house, garage, shed or in a bear-resistant enclosure until the morning of collection.
• Freeze or refrigerate meat, fish, bones and plate scrapings until the morning of collection.
• Put your green can curbside the morning of collection, not the night before.
• Designate only one green can for food scraps. Note that food scraps will not be accepted curbside in paper yard trimmings bags.
• Wrap your scraps in newspaper or paper bags to reduce odours and to keep your green can cleaner.
• Layer food scraps and food soiled paper with yard trimmings in your green can when possible.
• Wash your green can with a mild soap or a vinegar and water solution to reduce odours.
• Consider purchasing a bear-resistant storage container. For information about recommended products visit northshorebears.com or call 604.317.4911.
• For more information visit northshorebears.com
View our tips on being Bear Smart.
Please visit your municipal web site for more information about managing garbage and other bear attractants:
There are many different ways to prevent your food scraps from becoming a wildlife attractant. Here are a few suggestions:
• Empty your food scraps into your green can only on the morning of collection. Yard trimmings may continue to stay outside through the week as they won’t contain any wildlife attractant. Freezing or refrigerating meat, fish, bones and plate scrapings will reduce odours in your kitchen container so you can keep it inside until collection day.
• If you have 2 garbage cans, designate one of those for the green can because there will be less garbage throughout the week.
• Purchase a smaller can from a local retailer to store in the garage, basement, or shed. Transfer the contents into a regulation-sized bin on the morning of collection.
Backyard composting is the most cost-effective and environmentally friendly way to recycle fruit and vegetable scraps and yard trimmings. If you backyard compost, please continue to do so. Use your green can for items that are difficult to compost safely in your backyard, such as cooked plate scrapings, meat, dairy and grains.
The North Shore Recycling Program sells compost bins at a subsidized price for North Shore Residents. We also offer free compost coaching sessions. For more information, visit compost.northshorerecycling.ca.
We know that approximately 40 per cent of the contents of our garbage can be composted. By collecting food scraps curbside, the Green Can Program will save landfill space, reduce greenhouse gases and create compost for local gardeners, farmers and landscapers. This program also supports our region’s goal of 70% waste diversion while minimizing increases to garbage collection fees.
The Green Can Program is for all single-family households eligible for curbside yard trimmings collection. If you live in an apartment, condo or a townhouse with municipal garbage collection, please contact your municipality to discuss your property’s eligibility for the Green Can Program. If you live in an apartment, condo or townhouse with private garbage collection, contact your garbage hauler to discuss adding food scraps collection to your contract. Click here for more information.
Yes. Yard trimmings can be placed in your green can and in cans with Yard Trimmings Decals. Yard trimmings will also continue to be accepted in paper yard waste bags with tops folded down. For information on preparing your yard trimmings for collection, click here.
Yes, food scraps can be placed in your green can without yard trimmings. Wrap your scraps in newspaper or paper bags to reduce odours and to keep your green can cleaner. Keep your green can in the house, garage, shed or in a bear-resistant enclosure until collection day.
Set your green can curbside weekly even if it isn’t full.
Liners are not required but help keep your green can clean and reduce odours.
You can use newspaper or paper bags to line your bins, or purchase paper liners from a local retailer. Plastic bags, even those labeled biodegradable or compostable, are not accepted.
The local compost facility does not accept plastic bags of any kind because they compromise the quality of the finished compost and may get caught in the machinery.
The contents of your green can will be taken to the North Shore Transfer Station. At the end of each day they will be hauled by truck to Fraser Richmond Soil & Fibre located in Richmond, BC for processing. The finished compost and soil products are sold to local gardeners, farmers and landscapers.
Garburators put a costly strain on our waste water system. It takes more water and energy to use a garburator than it takes to recycle food scraps.
It costs less to recycle food scraps than to throw them in the garbage. We can decrease costs further if we keep materials out of our curbside collection program by reducing food waste, backyard composting, grass-cycling and mulching.
Residents may take yard trimmings to the Green Waste drop-off site at the North Shore Transfer Station (30 Riverside Drive). You will be charged a drop-off fee. Keep food scraps in a fridge or freezer until the next collection day.
We would like your help to spread the word about this program – please contact us if you would like us to come to an event or a meeting to provide program information and answer questions.
Check back here often, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter to receive regular updates about the Food Scraps Recycling Program.
Watch Harvest Power's 2 minute video to learn more.
Learn how to
minimize common composting problems, improve your finished compost and take less garbage to the curb!
Click here to learn more.
hether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, you're guaranteed to learn something new and how to:
minimize common composting problems,
improve your finished compost and
take less garbage to the curb.
Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned pro, you're guaranteed to learn something new and how to:
·minimize common composting problems,
·improve your finished compost and
·take less garbage to the curb.
Order Green Can Decals and Kitchen Container Decals online. Access our order page by clicking here.
The North Shore Black Bear Society's goal is to reduce the conflict between people and bears and to encourage co-existence through education, support and cooperation. Help us generate accurate bear sighting statistics: report a bear sighting.
Want more info on food scraps collection options? Visit our Multi-family Food Scraps Collection page.
Check out our Troubleshooting Page for solutions to common problems or view our Composting How-To Videos.
Need a new Blue Box, Blue Bag, Yellow Bag, Yard Trimmings decal or recycling guide? Just click here to access our order page.
Click here to view our Composting How-To Videos:
