Tip: Please don't put anything inside plastic bags, it prevents them being separated at the recycling facility. It’s easy. As a result, the City has not been able to find a stable market (i.e. Separate plastic bags/over-wrap from newspapers, flyers, magazines, water/soft drink cases. Separate plastic bags/over-wrap from newspapers, flyers, magazines, water/soft drink cases. Quickly rinse your containers to get rid of any leftover food or liquid, and put them straight in the bin and not in plastic bags. You can also buy wheeled sized big bin liners from your local supermarket to help keep your wheeled bin clean. Shredded paper put in clear plastic bag & tie closed & place in the blue bin (this is the only exception where recycling can be placed in a clear bag) Paper gift wrap & cards: remove ribbons and bows. Most disposable hot beverage cups are made of paper, but lined with plastic, which makes them difficult to sort mechanically at the recycling facility. If your items can’t be donated, put them in the garbage. If you can find paper bags with recycled content, and/or if you are able to use them for other things first before using them to line the bin then even better :) (I say this because the energy footprint of paper bags is quite high – 3x that of a plastic bag. If recyclables are put in garbage bags in recycling bins or toters, the recyclables may be perceived as garbage and be landfilled rather than recycled. Alternatively, products can be returned to retailers/manufacturers who have take-back programs. It also gives you more space in the bin … Tins and cans – steel and aluminium. Plastic cutlery (forks, knives, spoons) and straws Plastic food wrappers and cellophane e.g. Yellow Pages and phone directories. The dyes in the paper can also affect the quality of the end paper product and make it difficult for paper mills to turn cups into other paper-based products. For more more information about what this means, visit our coronavirus web pages.Â. As much as 70% of household waste can be recycled but not all of it can go in the blue bin. When you put in items that don't belong, it can cause injuries to workers and costly shutdowns at our recycling sorting facility.. Not sure where to put an item. Winnipeg, you're recycling wrong: Common misconceptions about what can go in blue bins If a container comes with one of those little triangle recycling symbols, it stands to reason it can … Place your wheelie bin out on your normal collection day, but not before 5:00 pm the day before. Please ensure you crush down boxes and large bits of cardboard to fit as much in your bins as possible. Which bin to use. onion and avocado bags Contaminated recycling is currently costing the City millions annually. Cellophane lids and cling film cannot be recycled and are to be removed. You can put your rubbish in plastic bin bags before it goes in the bin. Foil. from berries, mixed greens), Detergent, soap, shampoo bottles (lids/sprayers/pumps on), Clear CD/DVD cases (empty; black cases are garbage), Milk bags (outer bag, rinsed inner pouches), Frozen fruit/vegetable bags (no stand-up pouches), Over-wrap (e.g. If you are not sure if an item should go in the blue bin leave it out. Used tissues should be bagged up and put in your black bin. From there, it is loaded onto tractor-trailers and brought to a Material Recovery Facility in Toronto owned by Green For Life Environmental Inc., which the City contracts to process its recycling. Things that can go in your blue bin include: Cardboard, food and drink cartons, magazines, comics, waste paper, newspapers, cardboard egg boxes, pizza boxes, juice boxes, travel tickets (for bus, tram, train), cards, flyers, leaflets, pamphlets and catalogues. Use a clear plastic bag only if necessary. from toothpaste, lotion), Small appliances (e.g. Put items in loose and not bagged. This contaminates the bin and it may not be collected. Put any food waste from your tins, jars and food containers in your kitchen caddy. Don’t put garden waste in your black bin.  Don’t put soil, stone or rubble, or building materials – this will make the bin too heavy for us to move, so we won’t be able to empty it. Food scraps like apple cores, eggshells or expired leftovers belong in your Green Bin. Paper shopping bags are definitely an alternative to plastic bags and a good first step! Found in plastic drink bottles and microwavable food trays, most can be disposed of in standard curbside recycling bins. Put shredded paper in a clear plastic bag. Small actions at home can make a huge difference to the planet! The money that the City gets from the sale of recyclables is only enough to partially offset the cost to run the recycling program. Bad enough that it can damage equipment, cause workplace injuries at the recycling facility and ruin otherwise perfectly good recyclables. These do not go in your Blue Bin. Dark green bin: rubbish bin for general waste; Light green bin with blue lid: cans, plastic bottles and glass bottles and jars recycling; Blue bin: paper and cardboard recycling; Brown bin: food and garden waste; Get an overview of what items you can put in each of your bins While the City was affected by this, it is still able to find markets to take Toronto’s recycling and make it into something new, it is just receiving less revenue for it. Once at the Material Recovery Facility, the recycling is manually and mechanically sorted – using a series of belts and conveyors, screens, magnets, optical sorting and AI systems – into the different types of materials, such as plastics, paper, aluminum and glass. But if you leave recyclables in plastic bags once you deposit it in the recycling bin, you might accidentally cause everything inside the bag to … What can and cannot go in the (blue-lidded) recycling bin Yes please: Dry paper. Each of your household bins is for different types of items. You'll need to pay £36 for your annual online subscription. When you mistakenly toss food scraps in your Blue Bin, food residue and particles get soaked up by paper and can ruin large batches of otherwise good recyclables. Put any food scraps in your Green Bin. Recycling is collected from the curb or a building and brought to one of the City’s Transfer Stations. We only collect your green bin if you have paid for a green bin subscription. If you see any plastic lining, the item goes in the garbage. Don’t be fooled by the three-arrow triangle Please place coffee cups in the garbage. place lid/cap on (including sprayers and pumps). Changes to global recycling markets over the last couple of years have resulted in an oversupply of recycling material, with fewer markets where it can be sold. It’s not that used plastic bags and wraps can’t be recycled into new materials – they simply require a different collection system and processing equipment than many curbside recycling programs provide. Paper egg cartons, rolls & bags. Not only does the bag not get recycled, It is also possible that the recyclables in the bag do not get recycled. Recycle separately. kettles, toasters, hair dryer), Frozen food boxes (they have a lining or coating), Any paper with wax or plastic lining or coating, there is no stable market for the volume of black plastic generated in Toronto. Items in carrier bags or bin bags will not be emptied. Or, of course, you can avoid using disposable plastic bags – which many places have either banned or taxed – by bringing your own reusable bag. Place all black and/or compostable plastic (e.g. Recycling bins/sacks containing black bags will not be emptied. Conventional paper mills do not want coffee cups because of their low-quality paper and inner liner, which does not pulp easily and causes clogging in the pulping process. I’ve also heard that some people think they can put bags of plastic bags in the bin for recycling. All coffee pods, including those that are labelled or marketed as recyclable, must be disposed of in the garbage or returned to retailers/manufacturers who have take-back programs. Please place recycling loose in your blue bin, do not use or put carrier bags or black bags. How Bad? All rubbish must be inside the correct wheelie bin with the lid closed. Dear Recyclebank: Can plastic grocery bags be recycled along with other recyclables?-S. Dear S.: The short answer is: No, soft plastic cannot be recycled in most curbside recycling bins. If unsure about whether or not an item can be recycled, check, Clear food containers/clamshells (e.g. Please note, that if you order over the phone your subscription will cost £40. Black plastic of any kind, such as take-out containers and black garbage bags, is not accepted in the City’s recycling program. But please DO recycle them. from chips, nuts, frozen juice – place metal end in can and pinch closed; pull-off strips are garbage), Boxboard (e.g. Plastic carrier bags are made from a range of different plastics. They can get tangled in sorting machines, damage equipment and cause workplace injuries at the recycling facility. The recycling system in Toronto is still strong. With more than 85,000 households in Warrington we have a lot of bins to empty!  To help us do this as efficiently and safely as possible, make sure: You’re responsible for returning and storing your allocated wheelie bins. Plastic lids can be left on. Please also rinse glass bottles, jars, cartons, plastic bottles and cans, as this helps to keep your bin clean. Â, A full list of services are on our A to Z page, What you can put in your black, blue and green bin, Stockton Heath community recycling centre, The Recycle Now website has a handy list of items and what to do with them, Get rid of furniture, electricals and other large items, Report abuse of children and young people. They can get caught in sorting machines, damage equipment and cause workplace injuries at the recycling facility. But plastic bags cannot be placed in your recycling bin, period. The City does not accept the following items marketed or labelled as compostable or biodegradable in its Blue Bin recycling program: These items, which may be made of or lined with a bio-based plastic, must be disposed of in the garbage. I have curb side recycling in Indiana and I was told that you cannot put plastic grocery bags in the bin. Please see the A-Z of rubbish and recycling if you are unsure of where an item should go.. I have curb side recycling in Indiana and I was told that you cannot put plastic grocery bags in the bin. The types of plastic are different and most plants are not equipped for more than a couple types of plastic, for example we can only send plastics with the number 1 or 2 symbol on the bottom of the container. The answer to this one is NO! Dry cardboard. So, with plastic bags and films now being very hard to get recycled, we have to ask you to stop putting them in your green recycling bin, but to put them in your black refuse bin instead. Plastic film and polystyrene. Bad things happen when the wrong items are placed in the Blue Bin. Lightly rinse and squash them to save space. Tips. Subscription for 2021 is now open. The findings include feedback from Toronto residents about use, attitudes and disposal behaviours. buyers) for coffee cups. Don’t leave your wheelie bin in a position that will block the way for others. Note: Food/drink packaging must be empty and rinsed (otherwise, place in garbage). from juice, milk, soup; straws are garbage), Spiral wound cans (e.g. Nappies. Recycle separately. Black foam items and pieces smaller than 10 cm (4″) x 10 cm (4″) go in the garbage). *Place pieces smaller than a business card in envelope or add to bag of shredded paper. Put your garden waste straight into the bin and not into plastic bags. You can take things you no longer need to one of our community recycling centres.  Before you go, check their opening times, what items they accept and whether you may need a permit: There are local recycling points, often on supermarket or pub car parks, where you can take some things to be recycled.  Before you go, check where they are, when they’re open and what you can take. Can’t find what you’re looking for? The types of plastic are different and most plants are not equipped for more than a couple types of plastic, for example we can only send plastics with the number 1 or 2 … Please place recycling loose in your blue bin/sack or in a clear bag. You can recycle clear and coloured plastic. To save space in your blue bin so you can recycle more, flatten any boxes, squash plastic items and pop the lids back on bottles What can’t I recycle in the blue bin? Items Accepted in the Blue Bin (Recycling), Items Not Accepted in the Blue Bin (Recycling), Important Information About Compostable and Biodegradable Items, Opt in or Out of City Collection Services (Houses). Return your wheelie bin to your property as soon as possible after collection, but no later than midnight the same day. Plastic bags, as common as they are, are still not as widely recycled as other forms of plastic. Put pieces of paper the size of a business card or smaller in an envelope or add to clear bag of shredded paper. To remind you we will be placing a ‘no plastic carrier bags’ sticker on your mixed recycling bin. Glass, plastic bottles, cans, paper and cardboard must be placed loosely in the correct recycling wheelie bin provided for this purpose, for collection. Place the following inside two plastic bags and then in the garbage: Any items that are black, including takeout containers, bags, plant trays and flower pots, Any items that are labelled or marketed as compostable or biodegradable, including bags, containers, cutlery, Liner bags (e.g. It reduces the amount of waste going to landfill and helps to conserve natural resources and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. from cereal, tissue, detergent, shoe; remove liners, flatten, no freezer boxes), Corrugated cardboard (unwaxed, flattened; pizza boxes must be empty; remove over-wrap from water/soft drink cases, recycle separately), Rolls (e.g. Good stuff still happens to them, because the contents of your black refuse bin are burned to generate electricity. Ask the Waste Wizard to find out where and how to properly dispose of an item. Flexible multi-layered packaging (e.g. Note: all black and/or compostable plastic goes in the garbage. Squashing recycling also saves space in your bin and the collection vehicle. Non-black plastic lids and paper sleeves should be removed and placed in the Blue Bin. Your blue bin is for items that we can recycle: Don’t put hard plastic (like toys or coat hangers), bubble wrap, polystyrene, plastic bags, scrap metal, clothes, nappies, pet food pouches or garden waste in your blue bin. from toilet paper, paper towel, wrapping paper), Foam food and protective packaging (e.g. Put these items in the black cart as garbage. The service will run from 2 March to 3 December. Some plastic items - bottles, trays, pots, tubs.