Cart recycling for multi-unit buildings and schools

Who is eligible?

What goes in?

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 recycling cart, such as water bottles, pop cans, milk/juice cartons, etc. Thanks for helping to protect collection crews and other workers.

This program recycles the same items as the curbside Blue Box program, just sorted into multiple carts instead of boxes:

Blue "Containers" cart:  Empty and rinse all containers. Put in loose - do not bag.

• Aluminum foil trays and wrap
• Cans:  Includes metal food and beverage cans, paint cans (dry paint cans only, remove lid), empty aerosol cans
• Cartons:  Includes drinking boxes, milk and juice cartons
• Glass bottles and jars (remove metal lids and put both pieces loose in blue cart)
• Paper cups such as take-out coffee cups (remove plastic lid and put both cup and lid loose in the blue cart)
• Plastic containers:  Includes plastic bottles, jars, jugs and clamshell containers that contained food, a beverage, cleaning, personal or pet care product at the point of purchase. Check containers for these plastic identification symbols one through seven: 

Note: 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 Cart Recycling program.

Number 6 is Polystyrene/Styrofoam. There are different types of polystyrene. We cannot accept the expanded foam type which includes packing blocks and peanuts, as well as anything that did not contain something at the point of purchase, such as cutlery.

Grey "Paper products and plastic bags" cart: 

• Paper, including newspaper, magazines, writing paper, envelopes, magazines, hard and soft covered books. Put in loose.
• Boxboard, including cereal, cracker, and tissue boxes, paper take-out trays, egg cartons, paper towel and toilet paper tubes.  Discard any liner bags. Flatten boxes. Put in loose.
• Plastic bags and outer wrap: Grocery, shopping, dry cleaning, newspaper, and bread bags; milk outer and rinsed and dry inner bags; salt bags (softener, road), garden soil and mulch bags. Plastic outer wrap such as from packages of paper towels,  diapers, and cases of pop. Stuff inside one bag and tie outer bag closed.

Grey "Corrugated Cardboard" cart

Flatten and size corrugated cardboard to fit into the cart.

Wondering how to recycle an item? Call our Call Centre at 519-575-4400 available 24 hours a day, everyday.

What stays out?

If we don't have a processor who can turn it into something else, we can't accept it in the Cart Recycling program. Anything that may cause health and safety concerns for collection staff, and/or is banned from the landfill will also be left behind. If you have COVID-19, please put any item that has touched your face into the garbage, including pop cans and juice cartons.

As well, do not put these items in the recycling carts:

• Gloves, masks, sanitizing wipes
• Appliances, electronics
• Automotive parts
• Cans, cartons, bottles and jars that still contain food or beverages
• Bagged containers (keep cans, cartons, bottles and jars loose so they can be separated at our Nyle Ludolph Materials Recycling Centre)
• Bags that contained meat or cheese
• Bags that stand-up, pouch bags and squeeze tubes
• Bubble wrap, plastic stretch wrap
• Cardboard cans
• Chip bags
• Coffee pods, coffee bags
• Diapers
• Dishware, glassware, cookware
• Foil wrapping paper, bows and ribbons, cellophane wrap
• Furnace filters
• Household Hazardous Waste such as batteries, syringes, compact fluorescent light bulbs, expired medicines, paint
• Light bulbs, mirrors, windows, windshield glass
• Snack and candy wrappers
• Styrofoam
• Toys
• Wood such as wooden orange crates, furniture

Wondering how to dispose of an item? Call our Call Centre at 519-575-4400 available 24 hours a day, everyday.

Collection schedule and rules

• Please sort and prepare recyclables correctly. Carts containing unacceptable materials will not be collected.
  • Empty and rinse all containers.
  • Do not bag containers (cans, cartons, bottles and jars) - put them in the Containers cart loose.
  • Do not bag paper (newspaper, magazines, books, flattened cereal and other boxes) - put them in the Paper Products and Plastic Bags cart loose.
  • Put acceptable plastic bags and outer wrap in one bag, and tie the handles of the outer bag shut. Put this bag into the Paper Products and Plastic Bags cart.
  • Flatten and size cardboard so it fits inside of the cart.
• Collection:
  • Collection is once per week on your designated day. Contact our Call Centre at 519-575-4400 to find out your collection day.
  • Ensure carts are ready by 7 a.m. on your designated collection day.  
  • Clear snow and ice and ensure there are no parked cars blocking access.
  • All carts for schools must be rolled to the street for safe collection.
  • If you roll carts to the curb for collection, make sure they are half or more full of recyclables. This helps make collection more efficient.

Do you have a collection concern? Contact our Call Centre at 519-575-4400, available 24 hours a day, every day.

Tips and FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

• Put all recyclables inside the carts - do not leave items on top or outside of the carts. 
• If carts are stored outside, please close the lid after putting recyclables into the cart.
• Do not add your recyclables if the cart is already overflowing. Use a different, empty cart. (If you find all the carts are full, please contact your landlord or superintendent.)

Need more information?

• Contact our Call Centre at 519-575-4400, available 24 hours a day, every day.
• Refer to our Publications and Resources page.
• Landlords and Property Managers page.

Where does it go?

Recycling trucks 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 receive Paper Products and Plastic Bags (including corrugated cardboard), 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 your your help in separating the right recyclables into the correct cart (Paper Products and Plastic Bags, Containers, and Corrugated Cardboard), we can produce marketable recyclables. For our materials to meet the demanding requirements and maximize revenues (to help offset program costs), everyone is responsible to do their part in sorting recyclables!

Who is eligible?

COVID-19 update:  If you are participating in this program, please place used tissues and paper napkins in the garbage, rather than the green cart. Thanks for helping to protect workers.

The Region's Organics Green Cart program is available to all public and private schools that receive our Blue and Grey Cart Recycling program.

Schools interested in participating are to contact their School Board. Upon approval by the School Board, the Region can provide a limited number of large green carts (with liners) that must be rolled out to the curb, initial one-time supply of residential-sized green bins (no liners) for internal collection, and collection service, at no charge.

Carts are required to be set on the street curb by 7 a.m. on your designated collection day. When emptied, carts will be re-lined by the waste collection crew with a certified compostable plastic bag.

How to get on the program:

• Waterloo Region District School Board: Contact our Call Centre 519-575-4400 or by email.
• Waterloo Region Catholic School Board: Contact the Board's Energy Conservation Office at 519-578-3660.
• Other schools: Contact our Call Centre 519-575-4400 or by email.

Note:  The Region is running a Green Cart Organics pilot program for a few apartment buildings and townhouse complexes. The information below is applicable to those participating in the pilot. If you want more information about this pilot, please email us.

What goes in?

COVID-19 update:  To help protect collection crews, please place used tissues and paper napkins in the garbage, rather than the green cart. Thanks for helping.

• All food scraps including bones, peelings, shells, baking and cooking ingredients, spoiled and raw and cooked food (remove all packaging, stickers)
• Some paper products (such as paper plates, paper towels, facial tissue, greasy take-out paper packaging, paper baking cups, shredded paper)
• Houseplants, cut flowers waste, greenery from wreaths (remove pots, wire, decorations)
• Wooden toothpicks
• Pumpkins (remove candles, decorations)

Wondering how to recycle an item? Call our Call Centre at 519-575-4400 available 24 hours a day, everyday.

What stays out?

Any item that

• is not organic such as plastic bags, straws, blue box recyclables, sanitizing wipes, gloves, masks
• could be contaminated with COVID-19, such as facial tissues, paper napkins, paper plates, food scraps

Refer to Regional Waste By-Law 17-007 and Bans for collection and disposal restrictions.

Collection schedule and rules

• Carts need to be visible and accessible to collection crews on your designated collection day(s) starting at 7 a.m. Please ensure that any snow and ice are cleared away, and there are no parked cars blocking access.
• All carts for schools must be rolled to the street for safe collection.
• All organics should be inside the carts. Please do not leave items on top of or outside the carts.
• Carts containing unacceptable materials will not be collected.
• If liner bags are used, only paper bags (such as a yard waste bag) or certified compostable liner bags are accepted. Regular plastic or "biodegradable" bags are not allowed.
• It is the responsibility of the principal to promote and educate users about the Green Cart organics program. TIP:  Many schools have an "eco" or "green" team consisting of a teacher and several students who help promote and ensure the smooth operation of the program.

Need more information?

1. Contact our Call Centre 519-575-4400, available 24 hours a day, every day.
2. Refer to our Publications and resources page.
3. Are you a teacher interested in bringing your class to tour our Waterloo Waste Management site? Check out our Environmental Education program.

Where does it go?

Collection crews drop off green cart organics at Region of Waterloo facilities. Organics are then loaded into large trucks and shipped in bulk to the City of Guelph's Organic Waste Processing facility.

At Guelph's facility, your organics are mixed with other organics, shredded and put into a series of tunnels to compost. The conditions in the tunnels are monitored to maximize the breakdown of the organics with oxygen. 

After three to four weeks, the compost is removed from the tunnels and screened to separate out any material that did not break down. This screened compost is formed into long piles called windrows and is monitored for several weeks while it matures indoors.

After an additional screening, the compost is tested to ensure it meets quality standards.

The high-grade compost is sold to local farmers who add it to their fields to grow more food.