Organics Frequently Asked Questions

What is an Organics Program?

Our Organics Program, also referred to as our Source Separated Organics Program, is a new way for residents to dispose of their food and organic waste.

Did you know that 30% or more of household waste is considered organic waste?

Every year households in Kawartha Lakes fill up 28,000 cubic metres (more than 11 Olympic-sized swimming pools) worth of landfill space with an estimated 4,500 tonnes of organic waste. A successful organics program will help the municipality meet provincial policy targets and get closer to reaching our goal of diverting 70% of waste from our landfills by 2048.

What does this mean for me?

There are no changes coming to your waste (garbage) and recycling curbside collection day; your waste will continue to be picked up on the same day each week. The main difference is that when the program starts, you will no longer be allowed to throw your food and/or organic waste in your regular waste (garbage).

You will be provided with a small kitchen catcher (seven litre bin) for countertop collection of your organic waste along with a larger, 45L organic waste rollout cart for curbside collection. Curbside collection of organic waste will happen on Fridays each week for every address that is included in the program. For example:

If your regular waste and recycling collection day is Tuesday, you’ll continue to put your waste and recycling curbside by 7am on Tuesday and then later in the week, you’ll put your organics bin curbside by 7am on Friday for collection. Please Note: The first pick up is a Saturday because of the New Years Day holiday falling on a Wednesday.

For residents who don't live in the urban areas of Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay, or Omemee, we encourage you to compost at home! Composters and digesters can be purchased at our Municipal Service Centres. For more information about compositing in Kawartha Lakes visit our Waste Diversion Programs page and look for the Backyard Composting tab. 

When is my pickup? How often is my pickup?

For all urban areas (Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay, and Omemee) included in the Organics Program, collection is weekly on Fridays. To ensure your organic waste is collected each week, please have your rollout cart to the curb for pick up by 7am. Please keep in mind that there isn't a "regular" collection time - if your garbage and recycling is picked up at a "regular" time, that time may not be the same time as organics collection because the collection routes are different for the Organics Program. Getting your rollout cart to the curb for 7am will help you avoid collection delays or missed pickups. 

Note, if there is a statutory holiday that moves waste collection a day, organics collection will also move forward a day to Saturday.

Important: Organics will not be collected with your regular garbage and recycling collection. Your regular collection day will remain the same, but you'll put your organic rollout cart to the curb on Fridays (or Saturdays as outlined above).

Why is Organics pickup on a different day than regular waste pickup?

Collecting organics on Fridays instead of normal garbage collection days reduces the cost of the program, which saves the taxpayer money.

Can I opt out of the program if I don’t want to participate?

No, if a resident is within the urban areas (Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Omemee, Lindsay) of the municipality participation is mandatory. The municipality is providing a grace period for the first few months of collection to allow residents and collectors to adjust to the change. The grace period will be ending May 1, 2025. Once the grace period is over, we will be enforcing the requirements of the by-law to encourage participation in the program. Diverting organic materials from regular waste will have many environmental benefits. A daily habit of sorting your household organics will have the biggest impact on preserving landfill space, reducing greenhouse gases, and creating valuable resources for local farmers.

Where are my Organics going?

The organic material is taken to a facility for pre-screening to remove contamination and grind the material into a slurry. The slurry is taken to a local anaerobic digestion facility, also known as a biogas facility, to break down organic materials into biogas and digestate. Biogas is used to generate electricity and digestate is applied as a fertilizer to local farm fields.

Is the digestate (or nutrient-rich soil) from the Organics Program available for the public to use or pickup?

The digestate is applied as a fertilizer to local farm fields. The finished product will not be available for the public to pickup. Wood chips and compost processed at the Lindsay Landfill from the Leaf and Yard program will remain available for the public to pickup at the Lindsay Landfill from 8am to 4pm on Wood Chip Wednesdays. Learn more on our Diversion Program page.

I put my organics out for collection but they were missed. What do I do?

Complete the checklist:

1. Did you put it out at the right time? Your rollout cart should be at the curb for pickup by 7am.
2. Did you put out the right material? Check for a sticker to see if it was left behind for a reason.
3. Did you use the right bin? Organics will only be collected from your organics rollout cart.
4. Did you put it out on the right day? Organics is collected on Fridays each week, if there is a holiday during the week, it will be pushed forward to Saturday.

If none of the above reasons apply and your organics collection was missed, please contact Miller Waste to report it 1-888-557-4711 or email kawarthalakes@millerwaste.ca. 

I received a letter but I never received any bins, what do I do?

If you received a letter saying that your household is included in the program, than you should have received bins for the program. If you didn't receive your bins, please contact our Customer Service team at 705-324-9411 or email inquiries@kawarthalakes.ca.

Note: all households included in the program should have received a 45 litre rollout cart, a smaller kitchen catcher and a flyer with brief instructions that includes a list of what material will or won't be accepted.

How do I use the bins?

You'll use your smaller "kitchen catcher" bin in your home. For cleanliness, we recommend putting a small 10 litre compostable bag in your kitchen catcher. As you create food and organic waste, you'll add it to your kitchen catcher. Once your kitchen catcher is full, empty it into your bigger rollout cart. Pickup is on Fridays each week. Be sure to get your rollout cart to your curb by 7am to avoid any delays.

Please note that Organics Bins are for organic waste ONLY, do not put recycling material or regular garbage in the bins. Miller Waste will not be checking the organic bins on your regular waste collection days, only on Fridays when it is time for organics collection. If you put your organics waste bin out on your regular waste collection day, it will be ignored. Avoid delays with your regular waste and recycling pickup, by using the appropriate bins for the appropriate service.

What bags are required and can they be purchased in Kawartha Lakes?

Compostable bags are not required but to keep your organic waste as neat and tidy as possible, we recommend using compostable bags in your kitchen catcher. Larger compostable bags for your rollout cart will also be available but won't necessarily be needed if you're already using compostable bags in your kitchen catcher.

To avoid sticking, we recommend putting a piece of cardboard at the bottom of the inside of your rollout cart.

Compostable bags can be purchased through local hardware stores. We've also contacted our local grocers to let them know the program is coming and we've asked them to begin stocking compost bags for program launch at the beginning of January 2025.

Where do I get extra bins? Is there a cost associated with the bin? Are there different sizes available? What makes the bin special?

There is no limit to the quantity of organics you can put out for curbside collection as long as it is contained in the City approved cart and not over-filled. Households can have more than one City approved bin if needed.

Bins were delivered to eligible households between December 2, 2024, and December 13, 2024, at no additional cost to the owner. There are two different bins associated with the program – a 7-litre kitchen catcher, and a 45-litre rollout cart for curbside collection. If you would like an extra bin, they are available for purchase through the Service Centres starting January 6, 2025. Kitchen catchers are $10 each and rollout carts are $30 each.

The kitchen catchers have perforated lids to assist in keeping your organics from composting too soon. For best cleanliness practices, we recommend using compostable bags in your kitchen catcher, then once they're full, taking the bag out and putting it in your rollout cart.

The rollout cart is equipped with wheels for easy transportation to the curb and a lock-latch on the lid to deter animals and keep the contents contained.

My bin is broken, what do I do?

If your bin is broken, please email our Customer Service team at inquiries@kawarthalakes.ca and include a picture of the damaged bin. Your information will be forwarded to our Waste Management team and they will contact you with next steps.

Who owns the bins?

The bins are registered to the property, meaning if the owners sell, the bin stays with the property. Please be sure to leave your rollout cart and kitchen catcher behind if you’re moving out of your home any time soon.

The rollout cart delivered at the start of the program will have a RFID tag that is trackable through the registry; any replacement or secondary bin purchased will not have a tag.

The bins are free to the home owners, any extra bins needed will need to be purchased/ordered through our service centres.

Is there a limit to how many compostable bags can be collected? Do I leave them in the bin for pickup?

If you choose to use a bag, please make sure it is compostable. We ask that all organic waste remains within the provided rollout cart for collection. There is no limit for the amount you can put out as long as it is contained in the City approved cart and not over-filled.

How does the program work for multi-residential properties? (duplexes, basement apartments, apartments, condos, etc.)

Multi-residential properties with 5 or less units will have bins for each unit and Kawartha Lakes will collect. All units should have their own bins, if you do not, the owner/landlord can reach out to our Waste Management team to request more.

Multi-residential properties with 6 or more units will be handled by owner/landlord just like commercial collection.

Can paper or shredded paper go in the organics bins?

If you have a small amount of shredded paper (a sheet or two) then that is acceptable for the organics bin. Large amounts of shredded paper should be placed in a bag for recycling on your green (fibre) collection day.

What do I do with tissues, napkins, or paper towels?

Tissues, napkins and paper towels are acceptable in the organics program if they are clean or if they’ve been used to clean up water, food mess, or anything that is non-toxic. In the event the tissue, napkins or paper towel are used to clean up any undesirable liquid or bodily fluids, please place them in your waste bags.

Need help sorting?

The Organics acceptable and unacceptable material list has been added to the Recycle Coach App! The app is a great resource for sorting your waste, recycling and organics. Using the handy “What Goes Where?” tool, you can type in the item you're looking to sort and the app will tell you where to put it! We also send out waste delay notices, program reminders and weekly pickup reminders through the app. Download it today: www.kawarthalakes.ca/RecycleCoach

Visit our Sorting your Organics page for the full list of what can or can't be put in the bins.

Recycle Coach App Reset

If you already have the app but organics information isn't showing up for you, you may need to reset your address within the Recycle Coach app. It's simple to do:

Why isn't my household included in the program?

Due to the organics program being a pilot-program, we are implementing it in the higher populated, urban areas first. For the time being, we encourage households that aren’t eligible for the program to compost organics with a backyard composter or digester if you'd like.

I don’t live in an area that has curbside organics pick up, what are my options for composting in Kawartha Lakes?

A backyard composter or digester would be perfect for you! They can be ordered through the Service Centres. Be sure to check out the website for the option that is best for you.

Will the program be expanded to areas outside of the urban areas of Bobcaygeon, Fenelon Falls, Lindsay and Omemee?

The City hopes to evaluate the participation of the organics program and determine if the quantities meet the Ontario’s Food and Organics Waste Policy Statement. The Integrated Waste Management Strategy is exploring future collection options with input from residents.

My household isn't included in the program, do my tax dollars still go towards it?

The program is being implemented in a way that aligns with the City of Kawartha Lakes strategic goal of providing good government and being fiscally responsible. The program is starting with the urban areas to determine if the 50% diversion target set in the provinces organic waste policy can be achieved. Diverting organics from landfill will prolong the life of the City’s landfills for all residents.