Green carts, leaf and yard material

Green carts and leaf and yard material are collected curbside every second week. During the months of July, August, and September green cart collection is every week across the municipality.

The maximum allowed weight limit for a Green Cart is 100 kg (220 lbs). To stay within this limit, please avoid over-filling the cart by using paper yard waste bags for excess material.

Reducing Nuisances  Spring / Summer Green Cart Tips

Sorting Guides  Collection Schedules

Green cart delivery and repair

The municipality provides green carts and mini-bins to properties that received curbside collection. Call 311 to request cart delivery for new homes, or for repairs to a damaged cart.

Residents who receive municipal collection of garbage, green carts and recycling are eligible for a free replacement mini-bin (one per civic address). This includes multi-unit buildings with 6 units or less and condominiums serviced by HRM.

Carts are assigned to the property, not the owner. If you move, the cart and mini-bin must stay at the property.

To obtain a mini green bin replacement, please visit a HRM Customer Service Centre. Apartment tenants in buildings with over six (6) units, businesses, and commercial properties are not eligible and may purchase mini-bins at local retail stores.

When will my green cart be collected?

Sign up for weekly reminders and service alerts, or print a calendar customized for your address.
Collection can start as early as 7:00 a.m. but may not happen at the same time each week. You can place your green cart curbside as early as 7:00 p.m. the night before. Any carts not collected must be removed from the curb by 9:00 p.m. on the day of collection.

For collection delays and cancellations, visit the Service Updates page. Download the free Halifax Recycles mobile app on your Android or iOS device to have waste info in the palm of your hand.  Search what goes where or sign up for weekly reminders and service alerts.

What belongs in the green cart

• all food scraps
• fruit and vegetable peelings
• table scraps, meat, fish, bones
• dairy products
• fat, cooking oil, and grease
• bread, rice, pasta
• coffee grounds, filters, tea bags
• eggshells
• food napkins
• kitchen paper towels and soiled paper
• wooden cutlery (100% wood, no coating)
• paper plates (no plastic coating)

Tip: Use boxboard or one sheet of newspaper to wrap wet food waste.

What doesn't belong in the green cart

• NO plastic bags or 'compostable' or 'biodegradable' plastic products
  • No "biodegradable" coffee cups
  • No paper coffee cups
  • No "biodegradable" plastic cups or packaging
• NO paper or Styrofoam coffee cups
• NO ashes
• NO waxed or film packaging
• NO corrugated cardboard (i.e. pizza boxes)
• NO cans, bottles, or glass
• NO decorations or wire wreaths
• NO milk containers
• NO pet or animal waste
• NO soil, sods, rocks, logs or tree trunks
• NO grass clippings

Plastic bags or packaging labelled biodegradable/compostable

Plastic of any kind is not acceptable for green cart. In some cases "biodegradable" or "compostable" plastics may break down in a laboratory setting but have not been proven in a municipal compost system. Hot and cold drink cups and single-use soup bowls are lined with plastic to prevent leaking. When that plastic breaks down, it is still there, just in microscopic pieces. We ask businesses to connect with us at wasteless@halifax.ca to explore products that claim to be biodegradable and compostable.

Green carts that contain plastic (including those labelled as "biodegradable" or "compostable" plastic bags) will not be collected. The plastic must be removed prior to the next collection day. While some retailers have responded to customers and Halifax Solid Waste Resources requests to remove plastic compost bags from store shelves, some retailers continue to sell them. If you have purchased such a product, please return it to the point of purchase.

Leaf and yard material

The following items can also be placed curbside for collection:

• leaves and brush
• house and garden plant waste
• sawdust and wood shavings

Any leaves that you do not mulch or backyard compost can go in your green cart or large paper leaf and yard waste bags for collection. Up to 20 bags, 25 kg (55 lb) maximum weight each, are allowed each green cart collection day.

Branches should be tied in armload-sized bundles to a maximum of 5 bundles each collection day. No bundle can exceed 34 kg (75 lb) and no individual piece can be more than 4 feet long (1.2 m) or larger than 8 inches (0.2m) in diameter.

Grass clippings will not be collected curbside.

Natural Christmas trees will be collected on your regular green cart collection day. Remove all wires, nails, and stands. Trees cannot be in a bag.

Composting at home

Backyard composting is an easy way to return nutrients to your gardens and doesn’t require a special container to start.

Vermicomposting is a great way to build healthy soil at home. Red wiggler worms can help you turn food scraps into “gardeners gold”. 

 Reducing nuisances

Items left in our yards may unintentionally attract the attention of wildlife. Follow these tips to help reduce the chance a green cart is one of them.

• Place wet food waste in boxboard or newspaper
• Line your green cart with a yard waste paper bag to help absorb moisture
• Place the green cart curbside each collection day, even if it isn’t full
• Store cart in a ventilated, shady location
• Food waste can be stored in the freezer until collection day
• If you use a bungee cord to lock the lid of the cart it must be removed the morning of collection
• Report any cart damage to 311 for repairs or replacement as needed

For additional information on properly managing waste, visit www.halifax.ca/recycle. The NS Department of Natural Resources also provides information on Living with Wildlife.