Green Bin | Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA)

The EWSWA Green Bin Program

The EWSWA is providing a weekly, curbside collection program, the Green Bin Program, to help residents keep food waste and other organics out of our local Essex-Windsor Regional Landfill. This program launched in Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Tecumseh and Windsor (Phase 1) in October 2025.

By putting food waste in the Green Bin, you can reduce your garbage by up to 50%. Your efforts will help to:

Create renewable energy and fertilizer for next year’s crops.
Reduce greenhouse gases that are created when organics are unnecessarily landfilled.
Extend the life of our local, Essex-Windsor Regional Landfill, which avoids high costs of a new one.
Save taxpayers money that is spent on garbage services.
Foster a shared sense of environmental responsibility to support this agriculturally-rich region.

Note: Amherstburg, Kingsville, and Leamington will start their Green Bin Program in November 2026, so delivery of their Green Bins will begin in the fall of 2026.

Green Bin and Municipal Taxes

For more information on how the provincially-mandated Green Bin Program affects your municipal taxes, please refer to the resources below:

City of Windsor: Green Bin & City of Windsor Taxes
County of Essex: County of Essex Green Bin Billing

If you are looking for more information on the Green Bin Program costs, you can refer to the EWSWA Operational Plan and Budget.

Graphic illustrating the various components of the Green Bin (e.g. lock, lid, directional arrows, etc.)

Frequently Asked Questions Bubble Graphic

For more information:

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Green Bins and Garburators

Why do I need a Green Bin, I have a Garburator?

Garburating your food waste means that it will go to a local water treatment plant for processing. This puts additional strain on a treatment plant and needs more energy to process. Food waste in this water stream also increases nutrient concentration and depletes oxygen in the water as foods decay – both are problematic.

So make the better choice and Green Bin for the Win for all the potential benefits.

Benefits Of Using Your Green Bin

More Capacity

The Green Bin is not finicky and accepts: large pieces of food waste and other organics, hard items (large bones, pits, cobs, etc.), composition of material does not matter (fats, oils, grease are allowable), and accepts food-soiled paper products, that your garburator cannot handle.

Mechanical Repairs Avoided

Food can get caught and cause expensive repairs to your garburator when not used properly (clogging, overloading, etc.) or maintained.

Protects Municipal Assets

Using the Green Bin reduces the strain on municipal wastewater treatment systems that is not designed for handling large amounts of food waste.

Environmental Benefits

Green Bin materials are converted into nutrient-rich fertilizer that enriches farmer’s soils for next year’s crops.

Energy Benefits

Green Bin materials once processed also create renewable energy (thermal and electrical).

Waste Diversion

The Green Bin captures valuable resources to create new ones and helps Essex-Windsor meet provincial waste diversion targets.