Food Scraps & Yard Trimmings

The City of New Westminster collects food scraps, yard trimmings and other accepted green waste every week, year-round.. Check the collection schedule to find your collection day.

How To Prepare Your Cart

Use Kraft paper yard waste bags and or line your cart with newspaper to help contain food scraps and green waste. Do not use plastic bags in your organics cart. This includes bags labelled "compostable" or "biodegradable". These bags are not accepted by the City's organics processing facility.

To help keep your cart clean, you can:

• Use Kraft paper yard waste bags for yard trimmings.
• Wrap food scraps in newspaper or use accepted paper bags.
• Line the bottom of your cart with newspaper to reduce sticking.

Seasonal Tips

Food scraps and yard trimmings can freeze to the inside of your cart in cold weather. During warmer weather, materials can clump together or stick to the cart. This can prevent your cart from emptying completely.

To help prevent these problems:

• Line the bottom of your cart with newspaper or use Kraft paper bags.
• Layer food scraps with yard trimmings or newspaper to reduce sticking.
• Avoid packing materials tightly into your cart.
• Keep the lid closed to limit moisture.

Food scraps are collected with yard trimmings and turned into compost. Find out what you can and cannot put in your Food Scraps and Yard Trimmings Cart using the guide below.

Tips for Collecting Food Scraps

Use a kitchen container to collect food scraps before emptying them into your organics cart. You can line your container with newspaper or a paper bag to help keep it clean.

Do not use plastic bags, including bags labelled "compostable" or "biodegradable". These bags are not accepted at the City's organics processing facility.

TIP: Kitchen catchers or a plastic container with a lid are handy to temporarily store your food scraps in before emptying into the yard trimmings and food scraps cart. Lining with newspaper or brown paper bags helps make cleaning up easier.

Visit Metro Vancouver's website and learn more about food scraps disposal.

Have more yard trimmings or leaves than will fit in your organics cart?

You can place up to two additional Kraft paper yard waste bags out for collection each week, at no additional charge.

How to Prepare Extra Yard Waste

1. Fill your organics cart first. Extra bags are accepted only when your cart is full.
2. Use Kraft paper yard waste bags. Plastic bags, including compostable and biodegradable plastic bags, are not accepted.
3. Keep each bag under 50 pounds (23 kilograms). Collection staff must be able to safely lift and empty the bags.
4. Place bags at least one metre away from your cart. This gives the collection truck enough space to empty your cart safely.
5. Put bags out on your regular collection day. Collection staff will empty your cart first, then transfer the contents of your additional bags into the cart for collection.

Need to put out more than the usual two extra yard waste bags? The Leaf it to the City program offers additional collection during the spring and fall.

Have extra leaves, branches or yard trimmings? The City's Leaf it to the City program provides additional curbside collection for four weeks each spring and fall.

During these periods, residents who receive City curbside collection can set out extra Kraft paper yard waste bags and bundled branches on their regular collection day.

There is no two-bag limit during this program.

2026 Collection Dates

• Spring: May 4–29, 2026
• Fall: November 2–27, 2026

How to Prepare Your Yard Waste

• Use Kraft paper yard waste bags for leaves and yard trimmings.
• Bundle branches with twine. Individual branches must be less than 7.5 cm (3 inches) in diameter and no longer than 90 cm (3 feet).
• Keep bags and bundles under 23 kg (50 pounds) each. Collection staff must be able to lift them safely.
• Place bags and bundles at least one metre away from your collection carts. This gives collection trucks enough room to empty your carts.
• Keep paper bags dry. If rain is forecast, cover your bags with a tarp to prevent them from getting wet and tearing.

What Is Not Accepted?

Do not include:

• Stumps, rocks, sod or soil
• Food scraps
• Plastic bags, including bags labelled "compostable" or "biodegradable"

When Will My Extra Yard Waste Be Collected?

The City uses an additional collection truck during the seasonal program. Your extra bags and branch bundles may be picked up at a different time than your regular organics cart.

If your extra yard waste has not been collected, please wait until the end of the collection week before reporting a missed pickup.

Have more yard trimmings or food scraps than your organics cart can hold?

New Westminster residents can drop off eligible residential yard trimmings and food scraps for free, year-round, subject to program requirements and limits.

Visit the United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Centre for location details, operating hours and other information.

What Can I Drop Off?

Accepted yard trimmings include:

• Grass clippings and leaves
• Plants and plant cuttings
• Tree and hedge trimmings
• Tree branches up to 30 cm (12 inches) in diameter and 120 cm (4 feet) in length

Keep food scraps separate from yard trimmings. These materials must be dropped off separately because they are processed differently.

Requirements for Free Drop-Off

To qualify for free drop-off:

• Bring residential waste only. Materials must come from a residential property in New Westminster.
• Use a personal vehicle. Commercial vehicles and materials from businesses are not eligible.
• Bring proof of residency. Accepted documents include a valid driver's licence, current utility bill or property tax bill showing your New Westminster address.
• Separate your materials. Food scraps and yard trimmings must be kept separate for drop-off.
• Stay within the limits listed below.

Free Drop-Off Limits

Commercial waste is not accepted under the free drop-off program. This includes materials from landscaping, yard maintenance and debris removal businesses.