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green bin
DCHP-2 (Oct 2016)
Spelling variants:Green Bin
n.
a container for biodegradable waste.
Type: 5. Frequency — The term is a Canadianism in the North American context (see Chart 1). Green bin programs, which are used for composting, are found in many urban areas in Canada (see Image 1). First used for special collection of biodegradables (see the 1980 quotation), curb-side collection was rolled out in the late 1980s/early 1990s in some Canadian municipalities.
Quotations
1980
So many of those valuable trees are being chewed up to feed the Queen's Park propaganda mills, in fact, that two gentlemen from the Ministry of Environment came around [...] with special green bins to catch the discarded releases in the hope of extending the usefulness of the paper fibre [...].
1989
The letters will remind residents of the program and give locations in the neighborhoods [...] where the bright green bins for the special garbage pickups can be obtained.
1991
Refuse is better sorted in areas with prescribed containers (120-litre green bins for wet, 240-litre blue bins for dry) [...] - because what can go into a garbage bag is perceived differently from what goes into a blue box [...].
1999
Finally, and best of all, add a third category to the large green bins that are now so evident at strategic locations like parks, vacant lots and appropriate intersections for the drop-off of garbage.
2002
The Green Bin is exclusively for those smelly organic materials, such as vegetable peels, apple cores, meat fat and bones, paper towels and even diapers, that normally go into green garbage bags and then to a dump.
2008
This week, we'll answer your questions, bust some myths, delve into a few larger issues surrounding (literally) those big green bins and provide you with some more great ideas for recycling and reusing.
Images
Image 1: Green bin in Toronto. Source: Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons. Photo: NotYouHaha
