Food Waste

Composters are quick and easy to set up, but require ongoing maintenance to work well.

Composters can accept most yard waste (except for weed seeds and waste contaminated with herbicides or pesticides) and food waste (except for meat, dairy and oil).

Composting can give you excellent organic material that can be used to improve your garden or lawn soil.  

Digestors require work upfront to install, but little to no maintenance once they are installed. Digestors can break down small amounts of meat, dairy and oil. The product created through digestion is not appropriate to add to your garden or lawn.

Only food waste can be disposed of in the Molok bins. Acceptable food items include:

• Baked goods
• Coffee grounds and filters
• Cooked food
• Dairy products
• Eggs and shells
• Fruits and vegetables
• Leftover food
• Meat, fish and bones
• Tea bags

Food waste can be dumped directly into the Moloks. If you must wrap your food waste use plain paper bags or newspaper.

Items that cannot be disposed of in the Molok bins include:

• Paper towel, tissue, napkins
• Kitty litter
• Dog feces
• Food still in its container/wrapping
• Sanitary products, diapers
• "Compostable" or “biodegradable” plastic products
• Paper coffee cups
• Leaf, brush and yard waste

Bags marketed as “compostable” or “biodegradable” do not break down in our system, please use regular paper bags or sheets of newsprint to contain your food waste.

Do not throw any type of plastic into the Molok bins!

• FoodCycler FC-30 for $150 (+HST)
• FoodCycler Eco 5 for $300 (+HST)

Food waste that is processed by the FoodCycler is dehydrated and broken down into small pieces. While this isn't composting in itself, it can help food waste break down faster once it's mixed into garden soil, or placed in a composter, digestor or the Molok bins at Halls Glen.

The processed food waste is dry, so it can be stored without odour for a longer period of time (for disposal or use at a later date) or transported without concern for leaking in vehicles.

Two different FoodCycler units are available for purchase at a subsidized cost. Participants will select the unit they would like to purchase when registering for the pilot program.

Below are some FAQs from FoodCycler:

How much energy does the unit consume?

Each cycle consumes approximately 0.8-1.5 kWh per cycle, which is roughly equivalent to having a desktop computer running for the same amount of time as the cycle. Depending on where you live, using the FoodCycler™ regularly should not cost you more than $2-$4 per month.
The FoodCycler™ has built-in sensor technology that monitors the dryness and humidity of the food waste. Once complete, the unit will stop the cycle automatically.

How long does the cycle last?

In the FoodCycler™ Maestro/Eco 5™, a typical cycle takes between 4-9 hours for the food waste to become completely dehydrated and processed into the by-product.
For the FC-30 units it takes 4-8 for the food waste to become completely dehydrated and processed.
The time needed depends on the amount of food waste being processed, the density of the food wastes and the moisture levels contained in each. Please note that these estimates exclude the unit's cooling time which lasts less than a half hour on average.

How long will my filters last?

The carbon filters last between 3-4 months with regular use, or 500 cycle hours. The life expectancy of the carbon filters is determined by the moisture content of the food waste, and the natural odours of the food waste. Denser, wetter and smellier food wastes will go through filters much faster than simple veggie scraps and egg shells. The filter light sensor is a guide only - the best indication of whether your filters require replacement is odour. Please see your device manual for instructions to reset the filter light. You can buy replacement filters at the FoodCycler online store. 

 These food items can go in the FoodCycler:

• vegetable and fruit scraps
• meat, fish, poultry
• poultry and fish bones
• coffee grinds and tea leaves (including coffee filters and tea bags)
• beans, seeds, legumes
• eggs and eggshells
• shellfish (including shells)

In small amounts, these food items can also go in the FoodCycler:

• sauces, dressings, gravies
• dairy products
• jellies, jams, puddings
• starches (including bread, rice, cake, etc.)

These items must be cut up prior to going in the FoodCycler:

• paper towels, tissue
• corn cobs, husks (maximum 2.5cm pieces and in small amounts)
• whole vegetables
• fibrous plants (including celery, asparagus, parsley, etc.)

These food items cannot go into the FoodCycler:

• cardboard
• oils, fats
• candy, gum
• most "compostable" plastics
• pineapple leaves*
• beef, pork and lamb bones*
• hard pits (including peach, apricot, lychee, mango*

*The larger unit can accommodate small amounts of pork pones, lamb bones and hard pits, as well as cut up pineapple leaves.

No, the FoodCycler does not compost food; instead it chops and dehydrates food waste.

Composting involves microbial activity to break down the food. The FoodCycler can speed up the composting process because it's breaking the food down into smaller pieces, which are easier for microbes to access when the processed food waste is mixed into a composer or the soil. 

It is important to note that the processed food waste will rehydrate once added to a composter or the garden, so it still needs to be treated as green material (organics high in nitrogen) and mixed at a ratio of 1:10 to 1:20 with soil or brown material (organics high in carbon such as dry leaves, straw or shavings).

• In practice, this means if you have a handful of processed food waste, you need to mix it with 10 to 20 handfuls of soil or brown material so that it will compost properly.
• If mixing the processed food into a compost pile, a ratio of 1 part processed food waste to 4 to 10 parts brown material may be sufficient to support the composting process. 

If the processed food waste isn't combined with adequate brown material, it may result in unwanted odours, animal visitors and mold.   

If adding processed food waste to the soil directly, allow 6 weeks for composting before planting seeds into the same soil. 

Options to dispose of the processed food waste include:

• mixing it into garden soil,
• adding it to an existing composer or digester or
• disposing of it in the Molok bins at the Halls Glen Transfer Station. 

The Hall's Glen Transfer Station does not accept brush, leaf or yard waste.Brush, leaf and yard waste can be taken to:

• Peterborough Waste Management Facility 
  • 1260 Bensfort Road
  • Open Monday to Friday 8:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
  • Tipping fees may apply

• Waste Connection of Canada
  • 348 County Road 6
  • Open Monday to Friday 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
  • Tipping fees will apply
  • 705-742-4268

The County of Peterborough collects leaf, brush and yard waste in the spring and fall months for residents living in Donwood. Please check the County of Peterborough website for scheduling of these collections.Douro-Dummer residents are also able to dispose of leaf, brush and yard waste in a bin that is available during the spring and the fall. The bin is located at the Warsaw Public Works Depot (1422 County Road 4, Warsaw) yard from April 5 to November 30, 2022 during Public Works hours:

• Monday from 7:00 a.m. to Friday at 1:00 p.m.
• There is no access to the bin on weekends 

Tips for using the bin:

• When disposing of leaves in bags ensure you use paper bags weighing less than 22 kg (50 lbs) and shorter than 1 m (3 ft) when full (plastic bags are not accepted in the bin)
• Brush can be loose or tied in bundles weighing not more than 22 kg (50 lbs), with a length of up to 1 m (3 ft) and a diameter of up to 30.5 cm (12 inches)

Acceptable Items:

• Leaves, brush, branches, hedge and tree trimmings
• Christmas trees – decorations removed
• Grass clippings, lawn edging with soils removed
• House and garden plants, trimmings
• Small quantities of sod, within the weight limit

It is never acceptable to leave waste in the bin, unacceptable waste includes:

• Soil and stones
• Stumps
• Large quantities of sod
• Brush over the maximum dimensions
• Pet waste
• Food waste
• Lumber, building materials, plastic and garbage

Contact the municipal office if you need assistance in determining where you can dispose of your waste.