Recycle it right!
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Sort your waste properly to reduce your environmental impact
Did you know that not all plastics can go in the blue bin, even if they have the recycling symbol on the product or packaging? Recycling properly makes a big difference, and it’s everyone’s shared responsibility to the environment to reduce the number of items sent to the landfill. The City of Vaughan is here to provide tips and best practices to help you recycle right!
Black plastics, like the bottom tray of your rotisserie chicken or takeout containers, never go into the blue box – put these in the garbage. Ensure all recyclable food containers are empty, rinsed and loose in the box. Recycling placed in clear or any other bag is not accepted and will be left at the curb. Styrofoam™, batteries, takeout coffee cups, coffee pods and tissues are other items commonly found wrongly placed in blue boxes. If not the blue box, do you know where these items belong?
Styrofoam™, coffee cups and coffee pods go in the garbage. Tissues belong in the green bin. Batteries, which are hazardous material, must be dropped off at a York Region waste depot.
Below are examples of items that do belong in the blue box (recycling):
- empty plastic bottles, jugs and containers
- milk/juice cartons and drink boxes (no straws)
- clean steel/aluminum food and beverage cans, trays, plates and foil
- empty paint and aerosol cans (lids removed)
- unbroken glass bottles and jars
- paper products (books, magazines, etc.)
- cardboard, broken down and flattened containers (detergent, dry food boxes, etc.)
- corrugated cardboard
Still unsure about where a waste item belongs? Download the City’s Recycle Coach App through the Apple App Store or Google Play for information on sorting your items. The app provides waste-less tips and a personalized collection schedule with optional alerts on what to put to the curb each week. The City also offers an online sorting tool so you can quickly and easily check what item goes where using the search bar.
Hazardous materials must be disposed of safely and never placed in the garbage or down the drain. Electronic waste (or e-waste), such as cameras and smartphones, may also contain hazardous materials and should not be thrown in the garbage. Vaughan residents can drop off hazardous materials, e-waste and batteries at any York Region waste depot free of charge.
Are you looking to dispose of appliances or large metal items? The City collects these items by appointment every Thursday. Book an appointment and co-ordinate your payment through Service Vaughan or call Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281. For more information, visit the City’s Appliance and Metal Pickup webpage.
View the 2021 Waste Collection Schedule (PDF) online. The schedule includes Double-Up Days, leaf and yard waste collection and other important waste reminders for the year. Citizens can also keep an eye on the City’s social media channels for our new, bi-weekly Waste Less Mondays campaign for quick tips on sorting and waste disposal.
The City of Vaughan is a leader in waste management. Vaughan’s early commitment to York Region’s SM4RT Living Plan (Waste Management Master Plan) further strengthens that leadership. This plan identifies initiatives that set the stage for waste management to 2059 and beyond, focusing on the four Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle and recover – working toward a world in which nothing goes to waste.
To receive the City’s latest COVID-19 updates as they happen, sign up for the City Update eNewsletter at vaughan.ca/CityUpdate and follow the City’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn channels.
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