Recycling on windy days
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What you need to know to reduce litter in Vaughan
Don’t let your recycling be gone with the wind! Streets, sidewalks and parks can quickly become home to litter and debris on windy days – and when materials in your blue boxes aren’t secured. The City of Vaughan encourages everyone to help keep Vaughan clean by practising proper recycling etiquette and sorting and disposing of waste items on collection days.
Overflowing blue boxes can cause debris, especially on windy days. To help ensure materials end up – and stay – in the blue box, follow these tips:
- Leave space (7.5 centimetres or three inches) at the top of the blue box. Do not overfill it.
- Flatten items and pack them in the blue box carefully.
- Put heavier items on top of lighter ones.
- Consider putting recycling out the following week on windy days.
- Purchase additional blue boxes or use a larger blue box (up to 121 litres, no lids or wheels) if you have too much material.
Keeping Vaughan clean doesn’t stop at home. When visiting the City’s parks or trails, remember to use the recycling and waste bins provided in public spaces. If they are full, take your garbage home with you, including pet waste. Picking up after your pets is not just the neighbourly thing to do – it’s the law.
What goes where?
Properly sorting your waste not only helps to reduce litter in the city, but it also keeps collection days running smoothly. Unsure what waste items go where?
Below are examples of items that go in the blue box:
- plastic bottles, jugs and containers
- milk/juice cartons and drink boxes (no straws)
- steel/aluminum food and beverage cans, trays, plates and foil
- empty paint and aerosol cans (lids removed)
- unbroken glass bottles and jars
- household paper and paper products (books, magazines, etc.)
- cardboard, broken down and flattened containers (detergent, dry food boxes, etc.)
- corrugated cardboard
Items that go in the green bin (organics):
- all food and food scraps
- food-soiled paper products such as tissues, napkins, paper towels and plates
- cut flowers and house plants
Items that go in the garbage:
- wipes, masks and gloves
- Styrofoam™
- black plastic
- plastic bags
- coffee cups and coffee pods
- food pouches
Waste should be placed at the curb no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before collection and no later than 7 a.m. the day of collection.
When putting items in a blue box, it’s important to rinse out food from containers. Everyday food items, such as soup cans, yogurt containers, pop bottles, jam jars and more, should be rinsed to ensure they do not contaminate other clean recyclables. If an item contains food or food residue, it cannot be recycled and is sent to the landfill for disposal. The waste facility is unable to wash and clean recyclables.
Still unsure where an item belongs? Download the City’s Recycle Coach App through the Apple App Store or Google Play to help determine what goes where. The app also 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 check where an item belongs using the search bar.
You can also 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 more information about waste and litter in Vaughan, visit vaughan.ca/waste.
Reporting litter
For the safety and well-being of everyone in the community, including front-line staff, littering and illegal dumping are prohibited under the Littering and Dumping By-law 103-2020 (PDF). If you see an instance of illegal dumping or litter, please report it to Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or accessvaughan@vaughan.ca. Individuals found dumping their household garbage are subject to a maximum fine of $5,000 per offence.
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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