Town of Banff

Organics

You can recycle (compost) most of your organic waste, as listed below, by depositing it in specially-marked Organics bins at several recycling locations around the Town of Banff.

Look for specially-marked Organics bins at these locations

• Recycling Depot on Beaver St behind the Fire Hall
• Recycling Depot on Hawk Ave in the industrial district
• Cave Ave
• Middle Springs Dr

To make organics collection easy, we provide convenient Organics Kitchen Collectors for sale. Drop by Town Hall at 110 Bear Street to buy a kitchen collector for just $7.50.

Biodegradable, compostable paper bags (Bag to Earth) that will hold your kitchen organic waste are available for purchase in Banff from Nesters and Home Hardware. You can drop these bags right into the Organics bin.

No Plastic Bags!

Please collect your organics for delivery to the Organics bin in a reusable container or compostable paper bag. Do not place plastic bags containing organic material into the Organics bins, and make sure that garbage is not mixed in. Contamination by plastic bags and garbage reduces the effectiveness of our composting and recycling program.

Vegetables

• raw and cooked vegetables
• pits, peelings, rinds, tops, cores, husks and tops
• pumpkins, tomatoes, squash, popcorn, potato chips, etc.

Fruits

• raw and cooked fruits
• pits, peelings, rinds, tops and cores
• pineapples, bananas, apples, oranges, mangos, pears etc.

Grains

• rice, breads, cereal, noodles, toast, tortillas, baked goods, pastries, pies, etc.

Miscellaneous

• coffee grounds and filters
• tea bags and leaves
• cheese
• paper soiled with food
• wax
• eggshells
• popsicle and stir sticks (wooden only)
• leftovers/kitchen scraps

Garbage, not for composting: large bones, elastics, twist ties, stickers, plastic labels, fabrics and pet waste. Please note yard waste should be taken to the Town of Banff Operations Compound at 120 Hawk Avenue (in the Industrial Compound). Compostable bags are preferred and are available free from the Operations Compound office.

Liquids or semi-liquids materials (e.g. yogurt, sour cream or ice cream) may be rinsed down the drain with used water such as dirty dish water.

Note: backyard composting of organic waste is not permitted in Banff National Park, because compost can attract wildlife.


More information: Organics, Composting and Bio-solids