Sorting Guidelines

RECYCLING:
KEPT OUT OF LANDFILL

  • Line it up. Put your recycling boxes beside each other. Keep 1m (3 ft) to allow room for garbage bin collection trucks.
  • Keep it clean. Empty and rinse containers to prevent contamination, ensure more material is recycled, and avoid attracting wildlife when material is set out for collection.

  • Flatten and cut. If your cardboard is too large for your blue box, flatten and cut it down to smaller pieces. 30 inches by 30 inches (76cm x 76cm) or smaller. Loosely stack them between recycling boxes. Remember to keep plastic wrap out of your recycling!

  • Help avoid littering the streets and alleys. Avoid overfilling your recycling boxes to ensure they are not spilled during collection. If you are unable to comfortably fit your material into your boxes, contact Recycle BC’s collection partner to order an additional box, or use a similar, open box (e.g. laundry basket, storage box) to set out correctly sorted material.

  • Connect with us. Download our app, email us at info@recyclebc.ca, or connect with us on social media @RecycleBC.

Recycling sorting guide showing categories for paper, containers, glass, drop-off plastics, foam packaging, and items not

Organics:
What Goes IN the Bin

  • Fish & Shellfish
  • Meat & Bones
  • Pasta, Rice, Grains & Cereal
  • Bread & Baked Goods
  • Eggs & Dairy Products
  • Uneaten Cooked Food & Plate Scrapings
  • Coffee Grounds, Filters & Tea Bags
  • Nuts, Seeds & Shells
  • Cut Flowers
  • Wooden Utensils, Chopsticks & Toothpicks
  • Soiled Tissue, Paper Napkins, Paper Towel (Please contain in a paper bag)
  • Food-Soiled Paper & Cardboard Pizza boxes, paper plates, take-out containers (Waxed or plastic coated NOT accepted)
Green bin with illustrations and text listing kitchen waste items accepted, including fruit, meat, eggs, paper, and cooking