Where do you buy your Green Bin Kitchen Liner Bags and how $$

[stempy]

Our municipality, Durham region requires that the bags we use in our kitchen green bin be biodegradable. Depending on the manufacturer, you may be looking at a throw away cost of 25cents per bag. Glad makes a bag for 10cent unit cost bag but it does not comply with the program. Does anyone have any leads, stores etc that make/sell a reasonably priced bag?

[brunes]

Our municipality, Durham region requires that the bags we use in our kitchen green bin be biodegradable. Depending on the manufacturer, you may be looking at a throw away cost of 25cents per bag. Glad makes a bag for 10cent unit cost bag but it does not comply with the program. Does anyone have any leads, stores etc that make/sell a reasonably priced bag?

Don't use one at all. Cheapest and best for the environment.

Just empty the thing into your main bin every 2-3 days.

[CSK'sMom]

Yep, just don't use them. To me it's always been a bit of an oxymoran that you're collecting compostables in a plastic bag. We empty the bin in our kitchen usually every day or 2 when it's full right into the green bin. Give the kitchen bin a quick wash out and it's good to go.

[brunes]

Yep, just don't use them. To me it's always been a bit of an oxymoran that you're collecting compostables in a plastic bag. We empty the bin in our kitchen usually every day or 2 when it's full right into the green bin. Give the kitchen bin a quick wash out and it's good to go.

Another note there is no such thing as biodegradabele plastic. The stuff that is marketed as such is just regular plastic mixed with corn products. The bacteria breaks down the corn products, but not the plastic... it ends up being fine plastic powder mixed in with the soil.

[epiphony]

Another note there is no such thing as biodegradabele plastic. The stuff that is marketed as such is just regular plastic mixed with corn products. The bacteria breaks down the corn products, but not the plastic... it ends up being fine plastic powder mixed in with the soil.

+1

It's amazing how many people think that biodegradable plastic is a green solution to the garbage problem.

[eelfliw]

If you must use some type of lining for the kitchen bin, just use a few layers of newspaper. Small amounts of newspaper lining is fine for green bin.

If you want to get fancy, use wax paper because it's more water resistant.

[hellodan]

It's amazing how many people think that biodegradable plastic is a green solution to the garbage problem.

Precisely. As someone with experience in the plastic packaging industry, biodegradable bags tend to make other problems. You just can't see the physical evidence for a while because as the bags break down, the plastic components and such simply leach into everything else around it and are too small to be seen by the naked eye.

In addition, a large number of "biodegradable" plastic bags have not passed any standardized testing. A number of products in the marketplace (non-compost bags, but nevertheless still called biodegradable) contain roughly 1% biodegradable material, so the bag will technically break apart, but in this case the plastic remains are visible and will still take hundreds of years to degrade.

[gmark2000]

My first green bin collection is next Tuesday. We started collecting material last week when our bin was delivered. The contents are really becoming rank and foul. My garage is starting to really stink. I'm afraid if I put this on side of the house, the raccoons and skunks will have at it.

Anyone else have this problem?

[brunes]

My first green bin collection is next Tuesday. We started collecting material last week when our bin was delivered. The contents are really becoming rank and foul. My garage is starting to really stink. I'm afraid if I put this on side of the house, the raccoons and skunks will have at it.

Anyone else have this problem?

What are you putting in it?

You should only be putting vegetables, grains, and dampened paper products (like kleenexes) in your green bin.. None of this stuff should be making much of a smell, even if left out for a long time. You would only get smells form meats and bone, which DO NOT go in the green bin, for sanitary reasons.

Normally the biggest problem with the green bin is not the smell but emptying it outdoors before fruit flies start to get hold of it and then spread around your kitchen.

[CSK'sMom]

brunes, everything goes in our green bin from meat to bones to veggies and fruit and yard waste. Starting in Sept we can even put kitty litter and doggie doo-doo in ours. I filled 2 bins today starting to clean up my gardens. By our collection day I'll have filled all 4 of our green bins. :D

gmark, ours can get rank smelling from time to time but it's generally not bad at all. You may have put a lot of really wet stuff in and it's literally breaking down in the bin. We do try to drain things well if they need it before putting in the bin. You can try layers of newspaper between the layers as well if you're allowed to put newspaper in the bin. Our bins have quite a tight clasp in the lid and we don't have any problems with anything getting into it.

[chilts]

not sure how the green bins work in ONT but meat and bones aren't suppose to go into a compost.

[gmark2000]

I'm in Halton Region which is between Hamilton and Mississauga. The Greencart program starts collecting April 7.

Q. What goes in my GreenCart?

The following items can be placed in your GreenCart for weekly collection:

Bread, toast, cereal, baked goods & pizza
Cake, cookies, pie, muffins & candies
Coffee grounds & filters, teabags
Dairy products, cheese & yogurt (no containers)
Eggs & egg shells
Fruit
Meat, fish & shellfish (including bones)
Nuts & nutshells
Pasta, couscous, potatoes, rice, oatmeal, flour & grains
Vegetables, corn cobs & husks, pumpkins & salads
Sauces, mayonnaise, salad dressing, syrups, peanut butter, jams & jellies (no containers)
Fats & oils, lard, gravy, butter & margarine (no containers)
Soiled paper towels, facial tissues, paper towel rolls & toilet paper rolls
Soiled paper food packaging, cardboard egg cartons, greasy pizza boxes, paper plates & cups, take-out food trays & containers
Houseplants
Hair, pet hair, feathers, nail clippings & dryer lint
Other acceptable items include: popsicle sticks, toothpicks, wood chips, sawdust & cold wood ashes (in paper bags)

[CSK'sMom]

That looks like the same list as we have have here in Niagara gmark. That is exactly why we have 4 bins (could use a 5th actually) and routinely have them all out at the curb every week. We've had our green bin program for about 4 or 5 years now IIRC.

chilts and brunes, the list is so extensive for the green bin programs because of the scale they are composting at. Everything here in Niagara goes through a grinder and then is set out in compost berms that are something like a mile long. It's quite an impressive facility really. Yes, meat shouldn't go in a backyard composter but not because it won't break down. Because if you have critters around it will attract them and that usually is enough to make most folks stop backyard composting.

[tomw]

I saw some 'biodegradable' bags at costco the other day. They had a box of 125 of the small kitchen catchers bags for about $15-$16 and a box of 50 of the larger bags for the green bin for about the same amount.

[mrwally]

You have to be careful when trying to go cheap on green bin bags depending on where you live. For example while the City of Toronto will accept even regular plastic bags in their compost system (what does this telly you?), Regions like Peel and Durham require CERTIFIED compostable bags. Just because a bag says BioDegradable on it doesn't mean it's acceptable for the compost system.

Peel lists on their website which bags are acceptable and I've actually seen them put stickers on peoples green bins and leave them full on the curb if they see unapproved bags in the bin.

And like some people have mentioned, biodegradable doesn't necessarily mean they will completely degrade...terms like "degradable" and "oxo-biodegradable" can be misleading...but in my opinion they are still better than regular bags. And I believe BPI Certified Compostable bags are required to completely degrade within 180 days and leave no toxins or residues that will compromise the resulting compost.

We have started using Bag-To-Nature brand bags. They are $3.99 for a box of 20 which is about the same prices as the other certified bags. They are made in Canada but also are much thicker and resist liquids unlike some of the others so you don't get that sticky, smelly green bin.

[gman]

In Markham, it is required to have at least one plastic bag in the green bin. It does not have to be bio-degradable.

It can be one big bag.
It can be many small bags.
It can be one big bag and have many small bags inside.

[Bullseye]

My first green bin collection is next Tuesday. We started collecting material last week when our bin was delivered. The contents are really becoming rank and foul. My garage is starting to really stink. I'm afraid if I put this on side of the house, the raccoons and skunks will have at it.

Anyone else have this problem?

I have the same bin as you, and plan to keep it at the side of the house, the lock on it looks pretty decent. Even those rascally racoons should have a problem with it.

We probably have the same bins that CSK's mom does, I'd guess.

[CSK'sMom]

Yep Bullseye, we do have the same bins. The biggest problem we have is the garbage guys cracking the bins when they hit them against the truck inthe winter if they are frozen. >:( Four bins are going out for collection tomorrow here. :D

[gman]

Yep Bullseye, we do have the same bins. The biggest problem we have is the garbage guys cracking the bins when they hit them against the truck inthe winter if they are frozen. >:( Four bins are going out for collection tomorrow here. :D

4 bins in a week?? Even if I pretend to put all my regular garbage to the green bin, I could not fill 4 green bins in a week. I usually can only fill a green bin in 2 weeks and that is not exactly filled up either (although pick up every week).

[CSK'sMom]

gman, we are a family of 5. We can usually fill (literally) 2 bins a week in the winter as well. Because hubby is in the produce business we eat everything fresh, all year round. We also sit down to dinner every night as a family. Everything that can go in the green bin, does. Starting this time of year all our garden cleanup goes in the bins as well. We have blue and grey bins picked up every other week and we routinely fill 3 easily. As for the actual garbage, we put one bag a week out that is rarely full.

[Jetmech]

Costco is selling Biosak brand. It's 125 compostable brown bags for kitchen organics and they go for $15.99.


These are for the 9 litre container that is being rolled out in the halton region.

[Yumeji]

Another note there is no such thing as biodegradabele plastic. The stuff that is marketed as such is just regular plastic mixed with corn products. The bacteria breaks down the corn products, but not the plastic... it ends up being fine plastic powder mixed in with the soil.
Just so I don't confuse myself, does that include compostable bags like "BIOSAK" and "Bag-To-Nature" (I believe they contain corn ingredients).

Would using paper bags be better? : )

[mrwally]

Just so I don't confuse myself, does that include compostable bags like "BIOSAK" and "Bag-To-Nature" (I believe they contain corn ingredients).

Would using paper bags be better? : )

Here is the simple explanation:

Degradable or Oxo-degradable plastic - contains non-renewable petroleum as the polymer with some kind of additive (i.e starch, tapioca). The bag will break down in the right conditions but leave small "toxic" fragments of plastic that take a long, long time to degrade.

Biodegradable plastic - no petroleum products (i.e corn, soy is used instead). Micro-organisms break down the bag. The only downside is that they are NOT required to ensure "no toxic residue" is left when the bag degrades.

Compostable plastics (like Bag-To-Nature, Biosak, Biobag) - bioplastics that degrade at the same rate as paper and into C02, water, inorganic compounds and biomass when composted. That means they are completely benign and leave no toxic or heavy metal residues in the soil. They even support plant life. And they usually disintegrate in less than 180 days under industrial composting conditions (usually 60 degrees, defined humidity and micro-organisms present). Look for the "certified compostable" label.

Hope this clears things up.

[crashcourse]

I saw Wal-Mart's own Great Value brand of bio bags and Glad bags next to them.. both biodegradable and both brands come in the small kitchen catcher size plus the larger green bin size... FYI @ the Wal-Mart across from promenade mall

[CRXGSR]

Instead of plastic, how about brown paper bags? Aren't they better? I get my from ordering a bucket of KFC.:lol:

[mrwally]

Instead of plastic, how about brown paper bags? Aren't they better? I get my from ordering a bucket of KFC.:lol:


That's probably even better as you're re-using a bag. If you had to buy new bags I'm not sure it would be any different (killing trees). You could probably use the chicken bucket as well for compost - I know they accept greasy pizza boxes in our green bin.

[alwayslookingforadeal]

I've looked around a few places here in Oakville and Costco seems to have the best prices for both containers.

My parents have been doing this in toronto now for 1-2 years and they freeze their meats & bones until collection day to avoid some of the smell issues.