Organics | City of Brandon

The Organics Cart Program is your community’s solution for managing organic waste in an environmentally responsible way.

Approximately 40% of landfilled waste is organic material. Once the organic material is landfilled it does not have enough oxygen to compost. Because of this, methane is produced. Methane is a very potent greenhouse gas and is 25x more effective than carbon dioxide (CO₂) at trapping heat in the atmosphere.

Using your organics cart for more than yard waste is vital to helping our planet thrive. Check the acceptable items below and start doing what you can to help!

Acceptable Material

Acceptable Materials	Unacceptable Materials
Fruit and fruit scraps Vegetables and vegetable scraps Baked goods and plain breads Pasta and rice Seafood shells Eggshells Nut shells Small amounts of cardboard Small amounts of newspaper Fibre-based egg cartons (no Styrofoam) Hair, fur and feathers Nuts and seeds Cotton balls and swabs (with cardboard stem only) Dryer lint Paper towels, napkins and tissues Paper plates, toilet paper rolls Plants and flowers Grass and clippings Weeds Twigs (less than ¾” in diameter) Tea bags and leaves Coffee grounds and filters	Meat, fish and bones Dairy products Liquids (juice, pop, coffee, milk) Diapers Metal Plastics (bags, wrap, bottles, etc.) Fats and oils Large tree branches Wood Human or animal (including pet) waste including litter Recyclables Disinfectant wipes

Acceptable Materials

Unacceptable Materials

Fruit and fruit scraps
Vegetables and vegetable scraps
Baked goods and plain breads
Pasta and rice
Seafood shells
Eggshells
Nut shells
Small amounts of cardboard
Small amounts of newspaper
Fibre-based egg cartons (no Styrofoam)
Hair, fur and feathers
Nuts and seeds
Cotton balls and swabs (with cardboard stem only)
Dryer lint
Paper towels, napkins and tissues
Paper plates, toilet paper rolls
Plants and flowers
Grass and clippings
Weeds
Twigs (less than ¾” in diameter)
Tea bags and leaves
Coffee grounds and filters

Meat, fish and bones
Dairy products
Liquids (juice, pop, coffee, milk)
Diapers
Metal
Plastics (bags, wrap, bottles, etc.)
Fats and oils
Large tree branches
Wood
Human or animal (including pet) waste including litter
Recyclables
Disinfectant wipes

Organics Cart Tips

Helping with odours/pests:

Layer wet and dry organic materials in your cart, this also lessens the chance for material to stick to the cart.
Try wrapping your food scraps in old newspapers, paper towels or use compostable or paper bags – bags must be BPI certified.
In the warmer months, periodically wash out your cart with a mild detergent or a vinegar and water solution to help avoid pests and insects.
Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda at the bottom of the cart.
Store your cart in a shaded or covered area and ensure the lid is completely closed.

Using your cart in winter months:

Line the bottom of the cart with cardboard to ensure materials do not stick as weather warms up.
Continue to use your cart for food scraps and other household accepted items (dryer lint, tissues, etc.).
Store your cart in an area of your property that remains accessible.
If you prefer, you can always bring organic materials to Eastview Landfill – free of charge.

How Your Spoil Turns to Soil:

The City of Brandon uses an aerated windrow composting method.

That material is then placed into windrows and monitored for temperature, oxygen, moisture and pH.

The windrows are turned to ensure adequate rate of decomposition has taken place throughout the entire row. Once the rows have reached the correct amount of decomposition and the microbial activity has slowed, the rows are cured – curing can take a number of months.

Once cured, the rows are tested by an accredited laboratory under the CCME Guidelines for Compost Quality.

Rows that pass the laboratory testing are then screened to remove any remaining contaminants like plastics, bags, etc.

Any rows that do not pass the laboratory testing, are used in the landfill cell to cover exposed waste.

And now the compost soil amendment is ready for use!

Benefits of Using Your Organics Cart:

In Canada, approximately 40% of the residential waste stream is biodegradable materials such as food waste.

Reduces Methane production, reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions.
Preserves landfill capacity.
Reduces landfill leachate quantities and management costs.
Using the created compost (soil amendment), improves existing soils, suppresses soil-borne diseases, prevents topsoil loss, degrades some petroleum-based contaminants and reduces the bioavailability of heavy metals among many other benefits.

In 2021, Compost Council of Canada released the results of a five-year agricultural research trial conducted in Brandon. The photo below shows the effects of soil amendment used on veggies from the City of Brandon's Green Cart Program.

Annual: Results from soil amendment added every year.
Biennial: Results from soil amendment added every second year.
Control: No soil amendment added.

Growth results from year five of the Manitoba-based field study using municipal compost and different application frequencies (annual, biennial, none (control)).

Source: Dr. Lord Abbey, Faculty of Agriculture, Dalhousie University