Composting in Canada: City-by-City Guide

Canada has made significant strides in organic waste diversion over the past decade. From curbside green bin programs in Toronto to Vancouver's ambitious zero-waste goals, composting infrastructure across the country is more accessible than ever. But navigating what is and is not accepted — especially for businesses using food packaging — can be confusing.

This guide breaks down composting programs in five major Canadian cities, explains the difference between commercial and home composting, and clarifies how certified compostable packaging fits into each system.

Toronto

Toronto operates one of the largest residential organic waste programs in North America. The Green Bin Program accepts a wide range of food scraps, soiled paper, and certified compostable packaging through curbside collection.

What Toronto Accepts

• Food scraps (cooked and raw, including meat and dairy)
• Soiled paper and cardboard
• Certified compostable bags and packaging labeled BPI or CSA B457
• Food-soiled paper plates and napkins

For commercial operations, the City of Toronto requires businesses generating more than one tonne of organic waste per week to divert organics from landfill. Restaurants, caterers, and food service businesses are directly affected. Certified compostable serviceware — including BPI-certified containers and cups — is generally accepted through the commercial stream.

Vancouver

Metro Vancouver has set a target of achieving zero waste by 2040, and composting is central to that strategy. The City of Vancouver collects food scraps and yard waste through its green cart program, and the material is processed at facilities capable of handling certified compostable packaging.

What Vancouver Accepts

• All food scraps, including meat, fish, and dairy
• Soiled paper products
• BPI-certified or compostable-labeled packaging
• Compostable bags certified to ASTM D6400 or EN 13432 standards

Vancouver's Food Scraps Collection Bylaw requires multifamily buildings and many businesses to participate in organics diversion. The city prioritizes certified compostable serviceware over conventional plastics for food service applications.

Montreal

Montreal launched its citywide organic waste collection program in 2020. The brown bin program is now active across all boroughs, with organic material processed at biomethanization and composting facilities.

What Montreal Accepts

• Food scraps of all types
• Soiled paper and cardboard
• Certified compostable packaging (BPI or equivalent certification required)
• Coffee grounds and filters

Businesses using compostable packaging should ensure products carry recognized third-party certification — the City of Montreal specifies that packaging must meet ASTM D6400, ASTM D6868, or EN 13432 standards. Uncertified "biodegradable" claims are not sufficient.

Calgary

Calgary's Cart-Based Organics program accepts food scraps and food-soiled paper through brown cart curbside pickup. The material is composted at the Calgary Composting Facility, one of the largest in-vessel composting facilities in North America.

What Calgary Accepts

• All food scraps, including proteins and dairy
• Food-soiled paper products
• Certified compostable packaging and serviceware (BPI or CSA certified)
• Compostable bags

Calgary's facility operates at sustained high temperatures, which means it can reliably break down certified compostable packaging including bagasse containers and certified compostable cups. The City of Calgary explicitly lists BPI-certified products as acceptable in the brown cart.

Ottawa

Ottawa operates a Green Bin Program that accepts food waste and certified compostable packaging from residential and multi-unit properties. The organic material is processed through an anaerobic digestion facility at Trail Road.

What Ottawa Accepts

• All food scraps
• Soiled paper and cardboard
• BPI-certified compostable bags and packaging
• Food-soiled napkins and paper towels

Ottawa's commercial organics program is operated through private haulers. Restaurants and food service businesses are encouraged to participate in organic diversion programs, and compostable serviceware carrying BPI or equivalent certification is generally accepted.

Commercial Composting vs. Home Composting

This is one of the most important distinctions to understand when evaluating compostable packaging claims.

Commercial (Industrial) Composting

Commercial composting facilities operate under controlled conditions: high sustained temperatures (55-70 degrees C), managed moisture, regular turning, and microbial activity at scale. These conditions allow certified compostable packaging — including bagasse containers and certified compostable cups — to break down fully within 90 to 180 days. BPI certification verifies that a product will disintegrate and biodegrade in a commercial composting environment.

Home Composting

Backyard compost bins operate at lower temperatures and with less controlled conditions. Most certified compostable packaging is not reliably certified for home composting. It may eventually break down, but the timeline is significantly longer and results are inconsistent.

The practical implication: if your city's green bin program sends organic material to a commercial composting facility, certified compostable packaging will break down properly. Do not put certified compostable packaging in your backyard bin unless it carries home composting certification.

How VerteVida Packaging Fits In

VerteVida's compostable containers and cups are made from bagasse — the fibrous material left over from sugarcane processing. Bagasse is a natural agricultural byproduct, and products made from it are certified by the Biodegradable Products Institute (BPI) to meet ASTM D6400 standards.

In practical terms, VerteVida bagasse clamshells and soup containers break down in commercial composting environments within 90 days. That puts them within the accepted inputs at processing facilities in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Montreal, and Ottawa.

For restaurants, caterers, food trucks, and catering businesses operating in cities with commercial organics programs, using BPI-certified packaging closes the loop: food waste and packaging go into the same bin, get collected together, and are composted at the same facility. No sorting required, no separate disposal stream.

Practical Tips for Food Service Businesses

• Confirm with your waste hauler that your facility accepts BPI-certified compostable packaging before switching serviceware.
• Label composting bins clearly — staff need to understand which packaging goes where.
• Keep certification documentation on file. Some municipalities and haulers will ask for it.
• Do not rely on "biodegradable" labeling alone. Look for BPI, CSA, or EN 13432 certification marks.
• If you are in a city with a commercial organics bylaw, using certified compostable serviceware simplifies compliance.

VerteVida products are available in small business-friendly pack sizes across Canada, with no minimum order required. If you have questions about certification documentation or whether specific products are accepted by your local program, contact us directly.