Blue Box

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Kids taking blue box to the curb

COVID-19 update: If you are sick, please place any item that has come into contact with your mouth, nose, or eyes into the garbage. This includes items you would normally put in the blue box, such as water bottles, pop cans, milk/juice cartons, etc. Thanks for protecting our collection crews! Go to our Collection Issues page for more information.

Recycling is a proud tradition in Waterloo Region. After all, the first Blue Box program was invented here!

This page contains information for all blue box users. If you are at an apartment building or townhouse complex that uses large recycling carts, please go to our Cart recycling page.

Wondering how to recycle or dispose of a certain item? Ask the Waste Whiz below:

To report a collection concern, please use our online form. Or contact our Call Centre at 519-575-4400, available 24 hours a day, every day. Please note that our Call Centre is experiencing a very high volume of calls at this time (related to the COVID-19 vaccine). We appreciate your patience.

Who is eligible?

We collect blue box recycling from single-family homes, legal duplexes, eligible townhouse units, and small apartment buildings (6 units or less) every week.

Apartment buildings of 7 units or more, and most townhouse/condominium complexes do not receive curbside collection from us.

Check your eligibility, collection day and services,

Still not sure if your property is eligible? Please contact our Call Centre at 519-575-4400, available 24 hours a day, every day.

Approved collection containers

If you are a new homeowner/renter in Waterloo Region, have moved within the last six months and receive curbside collection, bring proof of your new/changed residency to pick up a blue box:

201 Savage Drive, Cambridge, Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Depot, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
925 Erb Street West, Gate 2, Waterloo, HHW Depot, Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Do you have a broken blue box? Please bring it to one of our HHW depots listed above, and get a replacement. We will recycle your broken box.

Do need extra blue boxes? These can be purchased at local retailers; please purchase blue boxes that we can collect safely and efficiently:

A reusable, rectangular plastic box.
A rim around the top so the driver can lift it and hook it on the side of the truck for sorting.
Made from rigid plastic which does not bend or give when lifted full.
Correct sizes:
- Blue boxes for Containers Only (for cans, cartons, bottles, and jars) no larger than 68 to 91 litres (18 to 24 gallons).
- Blue boxes for Paper Products and Plastic Bags (for paper, boxes, flyers, and plastic bags) no larger than 45 to 60 litres (12 to 16 gallons).
The Region of Waterloo will only collect from blue boxes that are the correct size, and does not reimburse for blue box purchases.

Containers that are not acceptable to use for blue box collection include wheeled carts, laundry hampers, storage totes, blue plastic "recycling" bags, blue plastic "recycling" cans, large clear or opaque bags, and cardboard boxes.

Use these tips to fit more into your blue box.

What goes in?

We collect recyclables that are prepared and sorted using the two-box sorting system.

COVID-19 update: If you are sick, do not put in any items that touched your face, such as pop cans, and juice cartons.

Box 1 - "Containers" blue box accepts the following types of packaging that contained a food, beverage, cleaning, personal or pet care product at the point of purchase:

Cartons, such as drinking boxes, milk or juice cartons
Glass bottles and jars
Metal cans, including empty and dry paint cans, empty aerosol cans
Paper cups, such as take-out coffee cups
Plastic bottles, jars, clamshells, flower pots/trays, automotive fluid containers (antifreeze, windshield washer fluid, etc.) with plastic identification symbols one through seven:
Also, aluminum foil wrap and pie plates/trays

How to prepare: Empty. Rinse. Do not bag - put items in loose. Learn how to deal with lids and labels.

NO broken glass, dishware, light bulbs, containers with food, appliances, car parts, candy wrappers, chip bags, cardboard cans, coffee pods, clothes baskets and hangers, furnace filters, straws, Styrofoam, toys, wooden orange crates.

Box 2 - "Paper products and plastic bags" blue box

Paper products and plastic bags going into the Paper and plastic bags blue box

All household paper, including newspaper, magazines, writing paper, envelopes, books, and plain wrapping paper (put in a grocery bag)
Boxboard, paper tubes, paper egg cartons, paper take-out trays (stuff inside a grocery bag or cereal/cracker box)
Corrugated cardboard: Flatten and size no larger than 75 x 75 x 20 centimetres (30 x 30 x 8 inches), tie together with twine
Plastic bags, including bread, milk, produce, and outer wrap from packages of toilet paper, diapers, etc. (stuff inside one bag and tie handles shut)

NO gloves, masks, sanitizing wipes, stand-up pouches, liner bags from cereal/cracker boxes and other bags that make a "crinkle" sound, bags that contained meat or cheese, mesh bags, bubble wrap, diapers, foil or plastic wrapping paper, bows, ribbons.

Wondering if an item is accepted in our Blue Box program? Ask the Waste Whiz!

Collection schedule and rules

Set out your blue boxes by 7 a.m on your collection day.
Holiday collection: Collection continues as usual on all holidays, except for Christmas Day and Boxing Day. When these holidays fall on week days, collection will be changed. We will advertise these changes on our website and social media, and in local media.
Different trucks pick up different materials starting at 7 a.m (they work into the evening). The time that your items are collected will vary week to week depending on various factors, such as routing changes, road construction, and weather conditions.
There is no limit to the number of blue boxes you can set out each week.
Maximum weight for each blue box is 23 kilograms (50 pounds).
Banned and uncollectable material, such as broken glass, masks, syringes, bagged containers, and oversized cardboard, will be stickered and left behind by collection staff.
If someone in your household is sick, do not recycle items that might have touched their face, such as pop cans and juice cartons. Place these items in the garbage instead.
Keep your blue boxes visible and in reach for collection staff (not behind a snowbank or parked car).
If you have a collection concern, please use our online form.

Options for dealing with recyclables

Ontario Deposit Return program - Bag it Back! Return and recycle all alcohol containers, including cans, bottles and cartons, through this program.
Reuse! Consider reusing jars for storing dry goods. Look for ways online to repurpose and "upcycle" all kinds of packaging.
Drop off recyclables at the Region's waste management sites (fees will apply).

Tips and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

Sort it right by using two blue boxes: one for cans, cartons, bottles and jars, and another one for paper products and plastic bags.
Download our waste app to set waste collection reminders.
Prevent litter! Please don't overfill your blue boxes. Use these tips to prepare your blue boxes on windy days. And check out this one-page flyer.
Check out our other brochures and other information on our Publications and Resources page. .
Conserve water when rinsing containers. After washing dishes, use the dishwater to rinse out cans, cartons, bottles and jars.
Using a permanent marker, write your address on each blue box.

What is the two-box sorting system?

The two-box sorting system is when you sort "containers" (cans, cartons, bottles and jars) into one blue box and "paper products and paper bags" (newspaper, flattened and bundled boxes, and bagged bags) into another blue box.

Blue boxes sorted

The advantages of this sorting system are:

Convenience. A larger blue box is allowed for containers and will help you store and set-out more recyclables without having to use more smaller-sized blue boxes.
Efficiency. Properly sorted blue boxes help collection staff sort into the two compartments of their trucks.

We have stickers to help your household sort recyclables. Please email us your order or call our Customer Service Call Centre at 519-

575-4400, available 24 hours a day, every day.

Why can't all types of packaging and other items be accepted?

Some items cannot go into the blue box because: Styrofoam, chip bag, plastic cutlery and straws

We don't have a processor who can turn it into something else.
The item may cause health and safety concerns for collection staff. For instance, if you have COVID-19, do not put in any items that touched your face, such as pop cans and juice cartons, in the blue box.
The item is banned from collection.

What do the numbers on plastic containers mean?

Plastic resin identification symbols

The plastic identification symbol tells us the type of plastic an item is made out of, not whether it is recyclable in our program. Some plastic items (such as toys or storage bins) may have these symbols on them, but they can't be accepted in our Blue Box program. (The type of plastic packaging we accept in our program are "containers" - they had to contain something when you purchased the product.)

Please note that Number 6 is Polystyrene (Styrofoam). There are different types of Styrofoam, ranging from packing blocks and peanuts, to meat trays and cutlery. None of it is accepted in our Blue Box program.

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:

Crush or stack metal cans
Flatten milk and juice cartons
Flatten plastic bottles (take the lid off of a plastic water bottle, squish bottle and put the lid back on so it remains flattened)
Stack paper coffee cups
Flatten boxes, size, and bundle with twine 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 pouch bags?

Stand-up pouches are a very common type of packaging, but are not currently accepted in our program.

Stand-up pouches have many thin layers of different types of plastic which make them strong but still lightweight. Because these types of bags are made out of different types of materials, current recycling markets cannot accept them.

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 (such as melting temperature). These pellets can then be used to make other products, such as garbage bags. If different types of plastic/pellets are mixed in, it creates problems with product quality (such as holes in garbage bags).

Why aren't bagged containers accepted?

Containers need to be put into the "Containers" blue box loose. Bagged containers

cannot be processed at our sorting centre since there is no equipment to remove the bags, and
cannot be marketed/sold. Each type of material (carton, metal, plastic, glass) has to be separated and sent to different end markets/use.

Lids and Labels - on or off?

Remove a large lid if it is a different type of material than the rest of the container, such as a metal lid on glass pickle jar, or a plastic lid on a paper coffee cup so that each type of material can be recycled separately. For instance, metal lids will get picked up by the magnet at our sorting centre and recycled with steel cans.
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.
Paint cans - remove lids. Paint cans need to be empty and dry and have their lid removed, to ensure they are safe to pick up.
Labels can stay on, too! There was a time when labels had to be removed from food and beverage containers, but not anymore. Recycling equipment and processes can now remove labels.

Can I recycle cardboard cans?

A cardboard can is made out of mixed 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.

All materials collected in the Region's Blue Box program have to be sorted and sent to different recycling markets. If cardboard cans are not disassembled, then the can has to be put in the garbage. If cardboard cans are taken apart,

Plastic lid: Recycle with other food/beverage containers
Metal top/bottom: Recycle with other food/beverage containers
Foil peel-away freshness seal: Put in the garbage
Paper tube: Put in the garbage. Note: This type of paper contains a lot of glue and paper mills cannot accept it for recycling.

What happens to glass after I put it in the blue box?

In the past, the Region went to the effort to colour sort glass to increase the value of the material, and was able to sell glass to recyclers. However markets have changed and recyclers now want paid to receive glass from municipal programs.

Currently, the Region reuses glass. When laying pipe for the landfill gas collection system or building landfill roads, the glass is mixed with rubble, concrete and crushed toilets (more reuse!) and used in place of gravel. By reusing the glass this way, the Region doesn't have to pay a recycler to take it, and also saves about $50,000 each year by not buying gravel.

The Province of Ontario recognizes and approves of this reuse alternative for glass, and still credits the Region of Waterloo with diverting all the glass handled in this way.

We continue to monitor the recycling markets for opportunities to recycle glass in a financially-responsible way, and will make changes when possible.

Why does the Region collect glass?

The Region of Waterloo is required to collect glass in the Blue Box program under Ontario Reg. 101/94.

How much glass does the Region collect each year?

Approximately 3,000 metric tonnes of glass are collected through the Region of Waterloo's Blue Box program each year.

My blue box wasn't emptied. Why?

There are a number of commons reasons why items are not collected, including by-laws and bans.

If you have concerns about your collection, please use our online form or contact our Call Centre at 519-575-4400, available 24 hours a day, every day.

Where does it go?

Our collection contractors drop off recyclables at our Nyle Ludolph Materials Recycling Centre (NLMRC), located at 925 Erb Street West (Gate 1), Waterloo. The NLMRC has two sections, one to receive the Paper Products and Plastic Bags, and the other to receive all Containers.

Paper products and plastic bags are dropped off in the east side of the facility, and are loaded into large tractor trailers; we do not sort paper, and plastic bags. This material is shipped to Niagara Recycling, where it is further sorted and then sold to market.

The Containers are dropped off in the west side of the NLMRC, separated by material type, and shipped to different markets in southwestern Ontario, and northern and east south-central regions of the United States.

Ensuring recyclables are sorted properly is key to selling them to market. Early in 2018, China stopped receiving shipments of mixed recyclables. As a result, North American markets have been flooded with recyclables, tightening their requirements, and lowering their tolerance for contamination (unacceptable material).

The good news is that with the two-box sort, we can produce marketable materials! Everyone - residents, collection crews, and the NLMRC processor - are responsible to do their part to help meet the demanding requirements and maximize revenues (to help offset program costs).