Blue Box Recycling

North Shore Residents are already great recyclers. In fact, a recent study showed that our recycling participation rate is over 99% (as of January 2008) with over 11,500 tonnes of recyclables collected curbside each year! Here you'll find what materials we accept in our curbside program and what to do with the materials we do not accept - we're working on a better way to present this information, but in the meantime, this page should help answer most of those questions. If you have an item you don't see here, check our Recycle This! feature.

 

The single-family residential curbside recycling program consists of:

 

 

For materials not acceptable in the curbside program, single-family residents also have access to the North Shore Recycling Drop-off Depot.

 

Remember: Put your recycling out with your garbage prior to 7:30 am on your regular garbage day (but not before 5:30 a.m) - setting it out the night before is unsightly and encourages problems with wildlife. As an example the North Shore community is attempting to deter bears from entering residential areas - you can do your part by ensuring your garbage is secure, your barbeques are clean, and that you don't leave birdseed or pet food out where bears can access it.



Glass (put in your Blue Box or Mixed Container Cart):

 

Yes (What We Pick Up)

 

  • Glass bottles and jars

 

How to prepare

 

  • Remove metal lids and caps
  • Rinse, remove lids and any plastic or metal wrap
  • Labels do not need to be removed

 

No (What We Don't Pick Up) - (see our Recycle This? section for more about these materials)

 

  • No window glass or light bulbs
  • No mirrors
  • No dishware
  • No porcelain or pyrex or vases
  • No ceramics 


Metal Cans & Aluminum Foil (put in your Blue Box or Mixed Container Cart):

 

Yes (What We Pick Up)

 

  • Aluminum cans
  • Tin/bimetal cans
  • Aluminum foil (NEW!)
  • Aluminum foil pie plates (NEW!)
  • Aluminum foil roasting pans (NEW!)
  • Aluminum foil tart cups (NEW!)
  • Aluminum foil loaf pans (NEW!)
  • Aluminum tealight trays with wicks and wax removed (NEW!)
  • etc.

How to prepare

 

  • Rinse
  • Remove any paper labels (place clean labels in Mixed Paper Yellow Bag)
  • Remove any wax or dirt
  • Flatten to conserve space

No (What We Don't Pick Up) - (see our Recycle This? section for more about these materials)

 

  • No scrap metal (e.g. pieces of metal)
  • No coat hangers
  • No aerosol cans
  • No propane tanks

 
Plastic Containers (put in your Blue Box or Mixed Container Cart)

 

Yes (What We Pick Up)

 

  • Rigid plastic containers (any color) including soap, detergent, and shampoo-type bottles, most yoghurt containers, and some deli containers, marked #1 (PET), #2 (HDPE), #4 (LDPE) and/or #5 (PP) within a triangle on the bottom of the container

How to prepare

 

  • Rinse to avoid odours and pests
  • Remove plastic caps and lids (dispose of caps in garbage, unless they are stamped with a #1, #2, #4 or #5 plastic recycling code)
  • Flatten containers to conserve space

No (What We Don't Pick Up) - (see our Recycle This? section for more about these materials)

 

  • No plastic bags (please note that plastic bags are not accepted for recycling curbside - however, some grocery stores accept plastic bags for recycling [call the BC Recycling Hotline at 604.732.9253 for up-to-date information]).
  • No plastics with the number 3, 6, or 7 within a triangle symbol on the bottom of the container
  • No styrofoam
  • No poisonous material bottles
  • No motor oil bottles
  • No juice boxes
  • No toys
  • No plastics with no triangle symbol

Visit the North Shore Recycling Drop-off Depot page for information on what plastics are recyclable at that facility.


  Paper and Cardboard (put in Yellow Bag or Mixed Paper Cart):

 

Yes (What We Pick Up)

 

  • Magazines, catalogues, ad mail flyers and glossy brochures (remove any product samples)
  • Telephone books
  • Office paper, writing paper and computer paper
  • Boxboard, such as cereal boxes, shoe boxes, and tissue boxes (remove liners, food residuals and any plastic or metal attachments - flatten all boxes)
  • Soft cover/paperback books
  • Corrugated cardboard, such as moving boxes, and packing boxes (flatten all boxes and remove any plastic or styrofoam). If the cardboard is too big to fit into your Yellow Bag, please break it down or cut it into 2' x 3' pieces or smaller, bundle together with string and put it out next to your Blue Box on recycling day
  • Pizza boxes (non-waxy), with food remnants and any paper or plastic removed

How to prepare

 

  • Shredded paper okay
  • Staples and tape okay
  • Plastic windows from envelopes okay
    Flatten cardboard to 2' x 3' in order to fit in truck's compartment
  • Flatten boxboard boxes (laundry detergent boxes okay with plastic handles removed)
  • Remove any leftover pizza toppings, crusts and wax paper before you set pizza boxes out for recycling

No (What We Don't Pick Up) - (see our Recycle This? section for more about these materials)

 

  • No frozen food packages
  • No school art projects with paint, glue, etc. attached
  • No photographs, wax paper, soiled tissue
  • No plastic wrap, candy wrappers, foil
  • No juice boxes (Tetrapaks) or milk cartons
  • No hardcover books
  • No black carbon paper
  • No wrapping paper or tissue paper
  • No newspaper (put newspaper out in your Blue Bag)

  Newspaper and Newspaper Inserts (put in Blue Bag or Newspaper Cart):

 

Yes (What We Pick Up)

 

  • Newspaper and newspaper inserts (put newspaper loose, not bundled, in Blue Bag)

No (What We Don't Pick Up) - (see our Recycle This? section for more about these materials)

 

  • No mixed paper, cardboard or any other paper



Yard Trimmings (put in Yard Can or kraft paper bag - see below for details):


Compostable Yard Trimmings material is collected year-round, always on the same day as your Garbage & Recycling collection.

 

Yes (What We Pick Up)

 

  • Grass clippings, leaves, weeds, brush and branches 
  • Plants and flowers (living or dead/dried)
  • Plant, tree or hedge prunings less than 3" in diameter and no more than 3' in length
  • Christmas trees cut to fit in container (no flocking, tinsel, decorations or stand)
  • Pumpkins after Halloween, broken into pieces

 

No (What We Don't Pick Up) - (see our Recycle This? section for more about these materials)

 

  • No food waste (of any kind)
  • No rocks, dirt, sod or animal droppings
  • No plastic, glass, cans or paper
  • No garbage
  • No prunings over 3" in diameter or over 3' in length
  • No painted or treated wood
  • No garden hoses, flower pots or other non-organic materials

 

How to prepare

 

North Shore residents have the following choices for their yard trimmings set-out:

 

  • Regular garbage cans (77-litre capacity or less), designated as Yard Trimmings Cans with official adhesive Yard Trimmings yard can labels and with lids to keep water out in case of rain - cans are the best choice for a Yard Trimmings container (rubber and metal last longest)
  • Tied bundles - less than 3 feet in length and tied with garden string or twine (no wire, nylon rope or plastic strapping, please).
  • Kraft yard bags - can be purchased from most local home improvement retailers.
  • In the District of North Vancouver only, residents may use their own District-supplied 360-litre Schaefer carts, designated as permanent yard trimmings containers with Yard Trimmings yard can labels (available free by online order on our order page or at your local municipal office or the Recycling Drop-off Depot). Schaefers are special carts only available in the District of North Vancouver's semi-automated solid waste collection system (call the District at 604.990.3892 for more information on Schaefer carts).
  • Weight limits of 20 kg (44 lb) per can, bundle or kraft bag apply; for District of North Vancouver Schaefer carts, a weight limit of 100 kg (220 lb) applies.
  • Yard trimmings will not be collected for recycling if set at the curb in clear plastic bags or containing anything other than yard trimmings.

 

Things to Remember

 

  • Special Yard Trimmings Can labels 'permanently' designate a can or in the District of North Vancouver, a Schaefer cart, as a Yard Trimmings container.
  • Each Yard Trimmings Can must be decaled with a Yard Trimmings Can decal (decals are available free of charge at your local Engineering Department counter and at the NSRP Drop-off Depot)
  • Once a container is designated a Yard Trimmings Can, it cannot be used for yard trimmings one week and garbage the next (unless the label is removed).
  • To help the crews distinguish yard trimmings containers from garbage containers, please ensure that:
    1. your yard trimmings can/cart is set out with the affixed Yard Trimmings decal facing the street (for visibility);
    2. that your yard trimmings containers are set out at least one (1) metre away from your garbage (again, to help with visibility).
  • For large amounts of yard trimmings material, residents can drop off up to 100 kg of clean material per day at no charge at the North Shore Chipping Yard, located at 30 Riverside Drive, North Vancouver (with a charge of $5.30 per 100 kg or $53 per tonne).
  • You can simply and effectively reduce the amount of yard trimmings material you set out at the curb each week (and maybe save yourself some time and money in the process) by putting into practice some of the ideas on our GardenSmart pages.
  • For frequently asked questions about the North Shore's yard trimmings collection program, visit our FAQ page.