REMINDER: Masks and gloves belong in the garbage
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Blue boxes with PPE, tissues, napkins or paper towels will
not be picked up by waste collectors
Confused about how to dispose of
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)? The City of Vaughan is reminding citizens which
items go where so collection days run smoothly and the right materials go into
recycling, reducing the impact on our landfills and keeping our waste
collectors safe.
Tissues, paper towels and napkins go
in the green bin. All masks and gloves belong in the
garbage. Blue
boxes with these items will not be picked up by waste collectors. Front-line
workers at York Region’s Materials Recovery Facility sort blue box materials by
hand; when these items are put in with recycling, it places workers in direct contact with materials
potentially contaminated with COVID-19.
Follow these tips below to help you sort your items
properly and easily.
What
goes in the blue box?
The following items are
recyclable:
- plastic bottles, jug 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
- printed paper (books, magazines, envelopes, etc.)
- cardboard, broken down and flattened (detergent, dry food boxes, etc.)
- corrugated cardboard (flatted and bundled)
The following items are not
recyclable:
- disposable wipes, masks and gloves
- tissues, paper towels, napkins
- Styrofoam™
- black plastic
- plastic bags and bagged recycling
- paper coffee cups and coffee pods
- food pouches
- clothing
- toys
- hoses
- hangers
Still
unsure? Download the City’s Recycle Coach App through the Apple App
Store or Google Play to help
you determine what goes where.
When putting items in a blue box,
it’s important to rinse out food from containers. Common 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 landfill for
disposal instead. The waste facility is unable to wash and clean recyclables.
Safe waste handling
Citizens should continue to practice good infection prevention and
control when handling any waste by washing their hands and any surfaces it has
contacted.
The following steps should be taken when handling waste:
- Carefully bag all garbage and green bin materials.
- If anyone in a household is ill, place any item that has contacted the mouth, nose or eyes into the garbage. This includes items that would normally be placed into the green bin (tissues, napkins) or blue box (water/beverage bottles and pop cans).
- Do not flush any disinfectant wipes or baby wipes down the toilet as they can damage household plumbing and cause sewer blockages and backups.
The City’s waste collection contractor, Miller Waste Systems Inc.,
continues to use the recommended PPE to protect workers from hazards they may
encounter while handling residential waste bags and bins. The City also urges
citizens to do their part and help protect collection staff by safely handling
their waste and bins and refrain from approaching waste collectors as they
perform their work.
Waste-less Virtual Visits
Struggling to meet the
three-item garbage limit? City staff are offering one-on-one coaching sessions
to help citizens understand what goes where, reduce landfill waste and
answer any questions about the City’s waste collection services. Book an appointment
today by contacting Access Vaughan at 905-832-2281 or email accessvaughan@vaughan.ca.
For more information
about City matters, visit vaughan.ca. 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 and Instagram
channels.
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