Latest news with #organics
CTV News
16-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Do you know what can and can't go in the green bin?
Organic materials are put into a compostable bag for the green bin program. Do you know what can and what can't go into the green organics bin? The City of Barrie says unacceptable items are often found in the organics waste stream after curbside collection, including diapers, personal hygiene products and plastics. 'The City is seeing an increase in plastic being put in the organics waste stream collected curbside,' the City stated. Residents using container liners must use certified compostable bags, paper bags or newspaper, not plastic bags. "Even plastic bags labelled as biodegradable, degradable, or oxo degradable do not break down in the municipal composting process and are not accepted in Barrie's organics program," the City explained. As for what can go into the green bin, here's a list of acceptable items: All food scraps and leftovers, including bones Coffee grounds and filters, tea bags Cooking oils and grease Soiled pizza boxes Fast food drink trays Hair (including from pets) Pet waste and plant-based kitty litter Small animal bedding Dried flowers Eggs and egg shells House plants Microwave popcorn bags Paper egg cartons, paper cups, paper plates Napkins and tissues Popsicle sticks, wooden toothpicks Pumpkins Wood wine corks, cooled wood ashes Items that should not be tossed into the organics bin include: Diapers and hygiene products Plastic bags, wrap or containers Plastic bags labelled as biodegradable Sod, soil or rocks Yard waste Dryer lint Bandages, gauze Styrofoam Textiles Vacuum bags and contents Dead animals Ceramics Drinking straws Construction or demolition waste, treated wood Green bins are collected weekly. In September, the City will transition to a new automated cart collection service that includes new waste and organics bins. Residents can get a kitchen catcher or curbside organics bin for free by contacting
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Michelle Pfeiffer claims Bill Gates-backed coating means 'organic produce is no longer safe'
Michelle Pfeiffer has attacked a Bill Gates-backed food coating and suggested he's going to contaminate America's food supply. On Thursday the actress, 67, expressed concern on social media over the FDA 's approval of Apeel, a Gates-backed food coating meant to extend the shelf life of produce. 'Apeel (an edible, plant-based coating designed to extend the shelf life of fresh fruits and vegetables) was just approved and now "organic" produce is coated in something we cannot see or wash off,' Pfeiffer wrote. 'Ver concerning.' She shared a video that claimed 'organic produce is no longer safe' after 'Bill Gates' Apeel just approved for USDA-certified organic.' Apeel has long been mired in controversy over its ingredients and association with Gates. The company was founded in 2012 by entrepreneur James Rogers with the help of a $100,000 grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Gates' are not currently involved in Apeel, which has received substantial backing from venture capitalist Andreessen Horowitz. Post: Despite Pfeiffer's comments, Apeel claims on its website that their coatings can be washed Apeel responded by saying it was 'both disappointing and concerning to see a public figure like Michelle Pfeiffer use her platform to spread disinformation about our company, our mission, and the work of our employees.' They added: 'To set the record straight: Bill Gates is not now, nor has he ever been, a shareholder in Apeel Sciences. 'Additionally, our products have been reviewed and allowed on the market in compliance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. National Organic Program requirements for nearly eight years - not recently, as Ms. Pfeiffer's post suggests,' Jenny Du, co-founder of Apeel and senior vice president of operations, said in a statement. Also, the company claimed that their coatings can be washed by rinsing the produce with water and scrubbing it. 'Apeel uses plant lipids or plant oils naturally found in fruits and vegetables and creates a coating applied to the surface of fresh fruits and vegetables in order to retain moisture and reduce oxidation,' Du told the Associated Press. 'Our product is also intended to be edible.' The coating consists of purified monoglycerides and diglycerides, which Du pointed out are also found in products such as infant formula. The company has said their coating technology can help reduce post-harvest food waste in developing countries and is ultimately aimed at combatting famine and hunger.
CTV News
04-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Thousands of new waste and organics carts delivered in Barrie: Here's what to know
New waste and organics carts are delivered to a property in Barrie, Ont., on July 4, 2025. The City of Barrie is preparing to switch over to a more modernized curbside collection program, and with that, roughly 13,000 new waste and organics carts having now been delivered to properties, with thousands more to go. Deliveries of the new carts started last month and will run through August. The carts won't be in action until the new program launches on September 8, so the City advises parking them somewhere until then. What to Know Carts will be delivered to the end of driveways of each property and cannot be exchanged. The City says each cart is equipped with special tags linked to the property. Residents are not required to be home at the time of delivery. Once carts arrive, residents are asked to write their address on the white portion to ensure they stay with the correct property. As with the current program, carts will need to be rolled to the curb by 7 a.m. on collection day, and 4:30 a.m. in the downtown BIA. While the carts are on an approximate delivery schedule, the City says they could arrive any day within the delivery window.
CTV News
02-07-2025
- General
- CTV News
Region of Waterloo to roll out new waste bins in 2026
The Region of Waterloo is giving its residents new cart-style waste collection bins by March 2026. Photo taken on July 1, 2025 (Sidra Jafri/CTV News). Residents of Waterloo Region will be using new garbage and organic bins next year. In a release, the Region of Waterloo said they'd be rolling out new cart-style waste collection bins. It's a move they say will make garbage and organic collection easier, cleaner and more efficient. Residents in the region will have a green cart for organics and a black cart for garbage delivered to them before collection begins in March 2026. The option to choose a smaller black cart is available for residents until Sept. 5, 2025, online or if they call the Region's Service First Contact Centre at 519-575-4400. Any one who misses this deadline and wishes to size up or down after receiving the black cart from the region, is asked to wait a six-month period. After this, residents can ask to change the size of the bin for a one-time exchange at no cost in fall 2026.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
No green bin, no garbage pickup: County revisits new strict policy for organics participation
The County of Simcoe is once again pushing to move forward with strict measures to improve resident participate in the organics program. In 2024, solid waste management staff presented council with the tougher measures, and at the time, council encouraged focusing on promotion and education rather than enforcement. In a Tuesday Committee of the Whole meeting, the program was laid out once again, emphasizing how the method is proven to drive increases in organics. What It Means If approved, the County would soft launch on November 1. At that time, collection crews would continue to pick up waste carts with no organics cart at the curb, but a cart hanger would be left behind to inform residents of the changes coming. Then on December 1, the new program would be fully implemented, meaning residents must place their green bin (organics) at the curb for collection if they want their garbage to be picked up. 'The County's curbside organics program has been in place since 2008 and while it has been successful in diverting over 250,000 tonnes of organics from landfill there is still room for improvement,' County staff noted. According to recent audits, 46 per cent of what is being tossed in the trash should have been placed in the organics cart. If the new program goes forward, it's anticipated to increase organics tonnage by 10 to 20 per cent. Backyard Composts Not Enough Door-to-door investigations by County staff reportedly revealed 71 per cent of the roughly 90 households they spoke with threw all organic waste in the garbage, while 23 per cent had backyard composters. 'All residents that had a backyard composter had organics in their garbage cart, indicated that they used the garbage cart for items that did not belong in the backyard composter or were unaware of the other materials that could go in the cart,' the report stated. The remaining six per cent stated other reasons for not using the green bin, including putting scraps in a field for animals to consume. Landfill Woes When organic waste like food scraps is thrown in the trash instead of the green bin, it causes several problems, the County highlighted. It takes up space in landfill runoff and produces methane - a greenhouse gas that is harmful to the environment. The County says its two remaining landfills are almost full. The Nottawasaga landfill will close later this year, and the Oro landfill is expected to reach capacity by 2027. Once that happens, all garbage will need to be exported or sent to a waste energy facility, both of which the County says are costly. If the program is implemented successfully, raising the organics capture rate to 60 per cent by 2028 could save the County around $30,000 per year. Hitting 75 per cent diversion could lead to yearly savings of more than $130,000, according to the report. The County expects promoting the program to educate residents would come with an estimated $125,000 price tag. The County would also offer a reduced fee for organics carts to $25 from October 1 until December 31 for residents needing them. The program would not apply to residents of Barrie or Orillia, which have their own waste collection programs.
