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Green Bins in Windsor-Essex (2026-27): What Goes In, Pickup Days and the New Towns Joining in November
Everything you need to know about the Windsor-Essex green bin: what goes in, what doesn't, which bags are allowed, how bi-weekly garbage works, and why Leamington, Kingsville and Amherstburg start weekly pickup in November 2026.
The short answer
Your green bin takes all food scraps, cooked or raw, including meat, bones, dairy and coffee grounds, plus soiled paper food packaging. No plastic bags, pet waste, diapers or yard waste. Pickup is weekly, and garbage is now every other week. Windsor, Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle and Tecumseh started in October 2025; Leamington, Kingsville and Amherstburg start the week of November 2, 2026.
A year ago, Windsor-Essex got a new roommate: a green bin that lives by the side door and quietly judges your leftovers. Garbage went to every other week, food scraps got their own weekly pickup, and a lot of households learned what week-old chicken bones smell like in July.
Now three more towns are joining. Whether you're new to the bin or still figuring it out, here's the plain-English guide to doing it right, and doing it without the smell.
Who has a green bin, and since when
| Area | Green bin pickup started | How often |
|---|---|---|
| Windsor, Essex, Lakeshore, LaSalle, Tecumseh | Week of October 21, 2025 | Weekly |
| Leamington, Kingsville, Amherstburg | Week of November 2, 2026 | Weekly |
The program is run by the Essex-Windsor Solid Waste Authority (EWSWA). About 27,000 homes in Leamington, Kingsville and Amherstburg got their kits in September and October 2026.
What goes in the green bin
- Fruit and vegetables, including peels, pits, cores and rinds
- Meat, poultry, fish and seafood, including bones and shells
- Dairy: cheese, yogurt, butter
- Bread, pasta, rice, cereal and baked goods (yes, even the stale half of the birthday cake)
- Eggs and eggshells
- Coffee grounds, paper filters and paper tea bags
- Nuts, seeds, beans and lentils
- Fats and grease, but only once they've hardened
- Soiled paper food packaging, paper egg cartons and paper trays
- Wooden utensils and toothpicks
- Houseplants (without the pot or soil)
- Pet food and pet hair from brushing
What doesn't go in
- Plastic bags, including ones labelled "biodegradable" (more on bags below)
- Pet waste and kitty litter
- Diapers, wipes and sanitary products
- Yard waste: leaves and grass have their own collection
- Plastic utensils, styrofoam, cans and plastic containers
- The little stickers on fruit (the most common contamination culprit, and the most annoying to peel)
- Paper towels soaked in bleach or cleaners
- Cigarette butts
Which bags can you use?
This is where most people get it wrong. Regular plastic bags aren't allowed, and neither are most "degradable" or "eco" plastic bags. Use only certified compostable bags that carry the certification logos EWSWA lists on its website, or line your kitchen catcher with paper. The green bag in your starter kit meets the rules, and compostable bags are sold at most grocery and hardware stores.
Compostable bags break down over time, so don't buy a two-year supply. Keep them somewhere cool and dry.
How bi-weekly garbage works
- Green bin: every week, on your regular collection day.
- Garbage: every other week. With food scraps out of the garbage, most homes find it's enough. It's the food that made garbage smell, not the chip bags.
- Recycling: in Windsor, recycling switched to a new single-stream system on January 1, 2026, run by Circular Materials.
- Set-out: put everything at the curb by 6 a.m.. Park the green bin about 30 cm from the curb with the arrows on the lid facing the street, and leave a metre of space around it so the truck arm can grab it.
- Your calendar: check your town's collection schedule online. Windsor's is on citywindsor.ca, and the county towns post theirs on their own websites.
How to stop the smell (and the raccoons)
- Freeze the worst stuff. Keep meat, fish and bones in a bag or container in the freezer, then add them on collection night.
- Put it out every week, even when the bin isn't full. A half-full bin that sits for two weeks is how legends are born.
- Lock the lid. The bins have a latch. Windsor raccoons have opinions, and some of them have figured out lids.
- Rinse it now and then with water and a splash of vinegar, and let it dry in the sun.
- Wrap wet scraps in a sheet of newspaper or a paper bag to soak up liquid.
Lost, broken or missing bin?
In Windsor, call 311. In the county, contact your town or EWSWA through ewswa.org. If you're in Leamington, Kingsville or Amherstburg and your kit didn't arrive, report it before your first pickup week.
Keep reading
Keep reading
Common questions
When does green bin pickup start in Leamington, Kingsville and Amherstburg?
Weekly green bin collection starts the week of November 2, 2026. Kits were delivered to about 27,000 homes in September and October.
Can I use plastic bags in my green bin in Windsor?
No. Only certified compostable bags or paper are allowed. Regular and "degradable" plastic bags are not accepted.
Can meat and bones go in the green bin?
Yes. Meat, poultry, fish, seafood, bones and shells all go in the green bin, cooked or raw.
Can dog poop go in the green bin?
No. Pet waste and kitty litter are not accepted in the Windsor-Essex green bin. They go in the garbage.
How often is garbage picked up in Windsor now?
Every other week. The green bin is picked up every week, and recycling runs on its own schedule.
Sources
- EWSWA: What goes in the green bin?
- City of Windsor: Bi-weekly garbage and weekly green bin pickup begin the week of October 21, 2025
- AM800: EWSWA to start delivering 120,000 green bins
- CTV News: Phase 2 of green bin program officially underway
- Windsor News Today: Green bin program coming to Leamington, Kingsville and Amherstburg
Spotted something out of date?
Sam