Blue Box

Why can't all types of packaging and products be accepted in the Blue Box program?

Some items cannot go into the blue box because:

1. The item may cause health and safety concerns for collection staff. For instance, if you have COVID-19 do not recycle any items that touched your face, such as pop cans and juice cartons. As well, broken glass is not accepted in the Blue Box program since collection staff hand-sort recyclables.
2. We don't have a processor who can turn the material into something else.
3. The item is banned from collection, such as electronics.

What does the "recycling symbol" mean?

The triangular loop made out of arrows (Mobius loop), as pictured above, is a symbol that identifies the type of plastic from which an item is made. Each number inside of the loop represents a different plastic. This symbol does not mean it is accepted in our local recycling program.

• The type of plastic packaging we accept in our program are "containers"; they had to contain something when you purchased the product, such as a plastic jug that contained soap, or a plastic bag that contained bread.
• Some plastic items, such as toys or storage bins, may have these symbols on them, but they are not accepted in our Blue Box program.

Please note that Number 6 plastic is Polystyrene. This plastic comes in different forms and some of these forms are not accepted in our Blue Box program. Examples include plastic cutlery, Styrofoam meat trays, packing blocks and peanuts.

How can I fit more into my blue box?

 If your blue box is overflowing with recyclables, it can create litter. Here are some tips to fit more into your blue box:

1. Crush or stack metal cans.
2. Flatten milk and juice cartons.
3. Flatten plastic bottles. For example, take the lid off of a plastic water bottle, squish the bottle and put the lid back on so it remains flattened.
4. Stack paper coffee cups.
5. Stuff flattened boxboard inside of an larger unflattened boxboard box, such as a cereal box.
6. Flatten and bundle corrugated cardboard boxes no larger than 75 x 75 x 20 centimetres (30 x 30 x 8 inches) and place beside your blue box.

Why can't I recycle stand-up pouches?

Stand-up pouches are a very common type of packaging, but are not accepted in our program. The layers of different types of plastics that make these pouches lightweight and strong, are difficult to separate and recycle.

Current recycling markets want plastic bags which are made out of only one type of plastic. This allows for the bags to be turned into pellets that have consistent qualities, including melting temperature. These pellets can then be used to make other products, such as garbage bags. Costly problems are created if different types of plastic/pellets are mixed in, such as holes in garbage bags.

Lids and Labels - on or off?

• Remove a large lid if it is a different type of material than the rest of the container. Examples of this would include removing a metal lid on a glass pickle jar, or a plastic lid on a paper coffee cup. This helps each type of material to be recycled separately. For instance, large metal lids will get picked up by the magnet at our sorting centre and recycled with steel cans. Please remove all lids on paint cans. Paint cans need to be empty and dry, and have their lid removed to ensure they are safe to pick up.
• Keep small lids on. If possible, squish the bottle first, then replace the lid to maximize the space in your blue box, and prevent litter.
• Labels can stay on. In the early days of our recycling program, labels had to be removed from food and beverage containers, but not any longer. Recycling equipment and processes have advanced and deal with labels. However, if a paper label is easy to remove, you can add it to your other paper for recycling.

Can I recycle cardboard cans?

A cardboard can is made out of mix of materials, including a metal top and/or bottom, a paper tube, and sometimes a foil peel-away freshness seal and plastic lid. Frozen juice, coffee, and chips are some of the products typically packaged in cardboard cans.

In our recycling program, each type of material has to be sorted and sent to a different recycling market. If cardboard cans are taken apart, plastic lids and metal ends can be recycled with other food and beverage containers, but the other parts including the paper tube (which contains too much glue for paper markets to accept) have to be put in the garbage. If the cardboard can is not disassembled, then it has to be put in the garbage. 

Can I use a lid or net to cover my blue box? What about using carts?

No, at this time blue box lids and nets, and carts are not acceptable to use in our Blue Box program.

Background: Overfilled blue boxes and high winds can create litter and reduce the amount of recyclables collected. To try to find a solution to these issues, municipalities have tested various types of lids and nets on blue boxes. Unfortunately, lids and nets create several challenges and increase collection time and costs. Some of the issues include difficulty in removing, becoming entangled, blowing away after collection, and freezing in cold weather. 

In many municipalities, all recyclables are collected together in one cart. While this reduces litter, it affects the quality of recyclables:

• materials are difficult to separate, such as glass shards in newsprint, and 
• high levels of unacceptable material (rates can range as high as 25 per cent)

In comparison, the Region of Waterloo's two-box sort system produces quality, marketable recyclables. Our rate of unacceptable material averages between six to eight per cent.

As well, it is important to note that the responsibility for blue box recycling is changing in Ontario, shifting away from municipalities. By the end of 2025, producers of the different types of recyclables are expected to be fully responsible to set up, monitor and report on blue box programs. Given this, the Region of Waterloo is not making any changes or additions to our local recycling program. 

How can I make sure my cardboard is collected? Why do I have to bundle it?

More online shopping and home deliveries are resulting in more cardboard. But for collection crews to be able to fit it into their truck, and to prevent litter in our community, cardboard has to be prepared properly. Here are the steps to take:

1. Sort: Remove any plastic, foil and other non-cardboard items. If the cardboard has large food/grease stains (such as on pizza boxes), tear off the stained part and put it in your green bin. Keep the clean part for your blue box. If the cardboard has any coatings (such as paint or wax), put it in the garbage.
2. Flatten: Remove tape and staples so you can flatten it.
3. Size: Cut down or fold over pieces which are wider or longer than 75 centimetres (30 inches).
4. Bundle: Stack cardboard no higher than 20 centimetres (8 inches), and tie with string.
5. Set it out beside or in between your blue boxes on your collection day.

Properly prepared cardboard also makes collection efficient. More cardboard is collected and recycled, and bundles are easy to pick up compared with loose pieces. As well, cardboard stuffed in boxes can fall out, and unflattened boxes would reduce truck capacity.

Are there other options to recycle it? Yes. Cardboard can be dropped off at the Region's waste management sites (fees will apply). At our sites, cardboard still has to be flattened to fit through the fence which is around the bin, but oversized pieces are accepted.

What happens to my recyclables? Where do they go?