If it can’t be composted, then in all likelihood we can take it in one of our other recycling streams. From plastic cup lids, styrofoam, soft plastics, plastic bags bottles and glass, to monitors, electronics and e-waste – if there’s a way to avoid it ending up in the landfill, we’re passionate about taking the steps to ensure we make that happen :)

For our office programs, we usually suggest not putting any protein in the bin (mostly meat, fish and bones) to avoid any smells. Also, we clean the bins thoroughly at each pick-up which keeps them fresh and clean and odour-free!

That being said, there are still the one-off instance where smells will occur. We have a few solutions for that:

• Line your bin with wet newspaper, the carbon in the paper acts as an odor neutralizer.
• Sprinkle some baking soda in the bin.
• Refrigerate your meat, fish or bones and dump them in the compost bin only on your pick-up day.

The cups can be tricky to figure out but, we make it easy for you! The answer is YES, we can accept ANY kind of paper coffee cup (even the non-compostable ones). The compost facility where we take our organics did some soil testing before and after accepting this material and realized that there was very little alteration to soil quality so, for that reason, we’re authorized to accept any type of paper coffee cup, which makes it much easier for you and your team to sort!

If you have space concerns, our team can work with you to tailor your recycling and waste reduction program to work within what’s available!For your reference, here are the dimensions of our totes:

• 35G –  approximately 40″ h x 20 w x 23 deep
• 65G –  approximately 42″ h x 27 w x 28 deep

Yes, we do!

Growing City is making a HUGE push to become a 100% paperless company and taking electronic payments not only saves our clients time and money, but also prevents trees from being wasted.

We accept:

• Monthly recurring credit card payment
• EFT payments, initiated by Growing City (We’ll send you the form and set you up with our Canadian, certified secure partner Rotessa)
• EFT payments, initiated by you! (Just let us know and we’ll provide our banking information)

Tip #1 –  Give your plastic, metal and class containers a quick rinse before putting them in the recycling, that would go a very long way in ensuring that your program stays pleasant to use and, odour free!

Tip #2 – Squish to save! By squishing your recycling, you are creating more space for the other materials and, more opportunity to recycle even more, for the same cost! Same goes for your cardboard boxes

Tip #3 – If your document has any confidential information, it should be shredded

Composting with Growing City is already as simple, clean and convenient as it gets – but here are some easy tips to make things even better:

• Clean out your fridge on pick-up day! (This seems pretty self explanatory, but a good tip nonetheless! )

• Surprisingly, cut flowers are the biggest culprit in regards to potential smell – who knew?  Change their water regularly and make sure to put them in your bin as close to pick-up day as possible.

• Keep fruit in the fridge!  Keeping these goodies on the counter is a great way to attract unwanted natural guests to hang out in your kitchen.

• Wrap your food-scraps in a compostable bag or in newspaper (the carbon in the newspaper helps mitigate the odours)

• Sprinkle some banking soda in the bin.

• Refrigerate your meat, fish or bones and dump them in the compost bin only on your pick-up day.

If your Compo-Capsule is damaged or in need of repair, please contact us and we’ll be happy to help!  We’ll do our best to switch it out in 48 hours.  For totes, we do have chains and locks available.  We recommend locking totes placed in unsecured areas as if it is stolen, charges may be applied for the cost of the bin and a delivery service charge.

Our individualized bins come in a 50L, 30L and a 10L size. If you require a communal bin system, let us know your space parameters and we’ll find the right bin for you!

Most clients require a weekly pick-up, however we do service clients up to daily if they require it.  Our team will work with you to tailor your program to your specific needs.  We’re also very flexible – if you require to go up or down a bin due to your usage, we can address that for you directly.

If you find that your team is filling up your bins too quickly you may need to go up a bin size or increase your pick-up frequency.  We’re very flexible here at Growing City, give us a call and we’ll create a customized service plan to suit your growing needs!

We use certified compostable locally-sourced bags.

The Compo-Capsules and Totes belong to Growing City and we charge a $5 monthly rental fee for the Compo-Capsule.  This fee covers bin maintenance and repairs!

We understand that implementing a new waste program can take some time.  If the wrong material continues to go into the Compo-Capsule, Growing City staff will document the contamination and a contamination report will be sent to clients to help them address the issue.  Unfortunately, contaminated food waste will not be composted and will have to go to the landfill.  A charge will be billed for every instance of contamination after the initial warning contamination report.

Yes, every member of the Growing City team is bonded and undergoes a criminal record check before they’re hired.  We also have general liability insurance.