Over 350 tonnes of food waste collected in first two weeks of green bin program

The green bins coming to Windsor-Essex seen in Windsor, Ont. on July 9, 2025. (Gary Archibald/CTV News Windsor)

The Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA) has given an update on the first two weeks of the green bin program.

Pick-up for the program started on Oct. 21 in Windsor, Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle, and Tecumseh, and since then, 351 tonnes of organic waste has been collected and diverted from the landfill.

While EWSWA said it’s very pleased with how the program has been going so far, there have been some hiccups and learning curves along the way.

Cathy Copot-Nepszy, manager of waste diversion at EWSWA, said they want to remind residents to ensure the bin is facing the correct way with the handles facing your home, if you’re using a bag for your waste, make sure it’s compostable, and leave space between your other bins and the green bin for easy pick up.

Over the past two weeks, Copot-Nepszy said they’ve placed “Oops Stickers” on approximately 6,000 bins for homes that may be putting incorrect items in their bins, however, she said they wanted to correct this behaviour from the very beginning.

While they’re not sure exactly how many homes are taking part, Copot-Nepszy said the tonnage they’re seeing is a good sign.

“We did have estimated tonnage that we were expecting to get for 2025, so I would say we’re on our way.”

Over the past two weeks, only 1/3 of a tonne, - or approximately 666 pounds, had to be diverted to the landfill.

All food waste and organic material is sent to Seacliff Energy in Leamington to be converted into a liquid fertilizer.

Over 117,000 green bins have been delivered in phase one. Once phase two is launched, there will be a total of 150,000 green bins locally.

Phase two will include Amherstburg, Kingsville, and Leamington and will see green bin delivery in fall 2026.