Food residues

Important guidelines for food waste collection

• The bin must be placed at the curb or curb chain after 8 p.m. the day before or before 7 a.m. the day of collection.
• The wheels of the bin must face your property and the lid must be completely closed.
• There must be a distance of 50 cm (20 inches) between the bin and the sidewalk, and one metre between the bin and other obstacles (mailbox, fence, carport, snowplow marker, etc.).
• Be sure to follow the specific collection procedures for each type of collection, otherwise your materials will not be collected.
• If you forget to collect :
  • Contact Services Brossard at 450 923-6311 or by e-mail at [email protected], before noon the next day to report this oversight. Requests received after this period cannot be processed.
  • Once you’ve made your request, leave your residual materials at the curb (except on weekends), as a truck may come by again. The contractor will collect the waste within 48 working hours of the day of collection.

Three key objectives for food waste collection

Since 2020, all homes with 1 to 8 dwellings have been served by food waste collection. The city is currently rolling out this collection service on a voluntary basis to buildings with 9 or more units. Would you like to take part? Contact Services Brossard 450 923-6311. Consult this section for all the information you need to know about this type of collection in your area.

Food waste collection achieves three important objectives:

1. Valorize food residues through biomethanization (production of energy and digestate);
2. Reduce the volume of materials sent to landfill;
3. Reduce the environmental problems associated with landfilling organic materials, such as greenhouse gas emissions and groundwater contamination.

Materials accepted in your brown bin

Food residues :

• Fruits and vegetables
• Dairy products
• Meat and fish
• Bakery and confectionery products
• Expired products
• Eggshells
• Coffee grounds
• Meat bones and fish bones
• Cooking oils and fats (to keep your bin clean, you can put these materials in cartons such as juice or milk cartons. This type of cardboard is compostable).

Soiled paper and cardboard :

• Boxes of pizza, chicken, etc.
• Napkins
• Paper towels or newspaper

Other materials :

• Garden waste (in small quantities)
• Wood ash (allow to cool for at least 7 days)

Materials not accepted in your brown bin

Plastic bags :

• Regular
• Compostables
• Biodegradable
• Oxo-biodegradable

Liquids :

• Soup
• Milk
• Juices
• Café

Other materials :

• Diapers and hygiene products
• Animal litter and excrement
• Oyster and mussel shells, lobster claws and crab carcasses
• All materials accepted during other city collections or at ecocentres

Tips and tricks

Some items placed in your brown bin may freeze or stick to the sides of the bin. Here are some practical tips to avoid this situation:

• Place food residues in a paper bag or wrap them in sheets of newspaper. The paper will absorb moisture and help prevent residues from freezing to the plastic;
• Place a cardboard box in the bottom of the bin;
• Avoid putting liquids in the tray; no liquid, no ice!
• Leave the tray in the sun over winter as long as possible;
• Take out the brown bin every week, even if it’s not full.

Resources and further information

• Presentation at information sessions