Recycling FAQs
Appliances and Electrical Products | Automotive | Batteries | Beverage Containers
Composting | Electronic Waste | Extended Producer Responsibility | Glass
Hazardous Products and Paint | Lighting Products | Mercury-Containing Products
Miscellaneous | Municipal Recycling | Paper | Paper Packaging Material
Plastic Packaging | Reusable Products | Recycling at Work
Appliances and Electrical Products
- How do I recycle my old refrigerator or freezer? (With Bonus Video)
- My fridge or freezer is still working. Can I donate it?
- Can I recycle large appliances like washers and dryers?
- Why do I have to pay to drop off my fridge at my local transfer station or landfill?
- Where can I take my microwave for recycling?
- What do I do with small appliances? (With Bonus Video)
- Where can I take my electrical power tools for recycling?
- I can't transport my appliances. Will anyone come pick them up? (With Bonus Video)
- How can I recycle my smoke or carbon monoxide alarm?
- What can I do with my outdoor power equipment such as lawn mowers, weed wackers and wood chippers? (With Bonus Video)
Automotive
- Where can I take used motor oil, oil filters, and oil containers in residential quantities?
- What can I do with residential amounts of used antifreeze?
- What can I do with larger amounts of used motor oil and antifreeze?
- Where can I take residential amounts of leftover gasoline?
- Why does my local recycling depot insist on keeping my gas can?
- Where can I take my used car and truck tires for recycling?
- Where can I recycle my car battery?
- What can I do with my old junk car?
Batteries
- What can I do with exhausted rechargeable batteries?
- What can I do with household alkaline batteries?
- What can I do with my hearing aid batteries?
- Why do I need to recycle small batteries? Are batteries toxic?
- What happens to returned household alkaline and/or rechargeable batteries?
- My organization or company generates a lot of batteries on a regular basis. What can I do to recycle them?
Beverage Containers
- What does BC's deposit/refund program cover?
- How do I recycle my milk and milk alternative containers?
- How can I recycle my soup and broth aseptic containers (eg. tetra packs)? (With Bonus Video)
- Is there a deposit on drink boxes?
- Are alcoholic beverage containers included under BC's beverage container deposit/refund schedule?
- Why does the bottle depot only give me a partial refund for my beer bottles?
- Where can I take "ready-to-drink" beverage containers with no limits on quantity?
- Can I take my beverage containers back to where I purchased them?
- Can I put my empty beverage containers in my blue box?
- I was charged a "Recycling Fee" when I purchased beverages at the store. What is the Recycling Fee? (With Bonus Video)
- Do I need to prepare my beverage containers before taking them to the bottle depot?
- Are single-use coffee and tea pods, such as those from Keurig and Tassimo, included in any recycling programs?
- Can I recycle the single-use cups that I get from Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and other coffee shops? (With Bonus Video)
Composting
- Why should I compost? Won't my food scrap biodegrade in the landfill anyways?
- Why can’t I put grass and leaves in my city garbage?
- What can I do with my food scraps?
- What materials should not go into the Curbside Organics or Composting Bin?
- Is food packaging or soiled paper accepted in the curbside organics bin? (With Bonus Video)
- How do I keep my curbside organics/green bin free of odours and flies? (With Bonus Video)
- What do I do with used cooking oil?
- How do I get started with home or on-site composting? (With Bonus Video)
- I live in an apartment. Is it possible to compost at home?
- I am a residential building manager or resident in a multi-family dwelling and would like more information on the Landfill Organics Ban that began in Metro Vancouver. Where can I get more information?
- I operate a restaurant or grocery store in Metro Vancouver. Where can I find more information on how to comply with the Organics Ban?
- Where can I find more information on what other communities are doing for food scraps collection?
Electronic Waste
- I’ve heard my computer has heavy metals in it. Is that true?
- What products are included in the provincial electronic recycling program?
- How can I make sure my old electronics don't get sent to recycling facilities overseas?
- Why am I charged an Environmental Handling Fee (EHF) when I purchase new electronics? (With Bonus Video)
- What can I do with my old computer?
- What can I do with my old audio and video systems?
- What can I do with non-cellular phones and answering machines?
- What can I do with items such as CD's, VHS tapes, DVD's, floppy disks, and other types of "storage media"? (With Bonus Video)
- What can I do with my old cell phone? (With Bonus Video)
- My electronics are still in good working order. Can I donate them?
- I have sensitive materials on my computer. How do I ensure they are destroyed?
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)
- What is Extended Producer Responsibility?
- What are some examples of EPR?
- Who decides what products are included in EPR programs?
Glass
- Why are glass bottles and jars not included in my curbside recycling program?
- Why isn’t window glass accepted in my recycling program?
- Can I put a broken jar into the recycling bin?
- Where can I recycle old eyeglasses?
Hazardous Products and Paint
- Where can I take old paint for recycling? (With Bonus Video)
- Where can I take my aerosol paint cans for recycling?
- Can my empty paint cans go into my garbage can or blue box?
- What happens to the paint that is returned to the depots?
- Where can I get leftover paint?
- Why can't I take my paint thinner to my local paint depot?
- Where can I dispose of residential garden chemicals, like old pesticides? (With Bonus Video)
- Where can I recycle my empty bags and plastic containers for garden chemicals and fertilizers?
- What can I do to avoid using toxic household cleaners? (With Bonus Video)
- Where can I drop off out-dated or leftover medicine? (With Bonus Video)
- What can I do with my empty propane tank? (With Bonus Video)
- Why can't I put my leftover gyproc/drywall in the garbage?
- Where can I take my asbestos-containing drywall?
Lighting Products
- I hear that CFL light bulbs and tubes contain mercury. Is this true?
- Where can I safely dispose of Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs and/or fluorescent light tubes? What about other household light bulbs? (With Bonus Video)
- Where can I drop-off residential light fixtures for recycling? (With Bonus Video)
- Where can I safely dispose of commercial or industrial volumes of compact flourescent light tubes and bulbs, as well as other light bulbs?
- Where can I recycle commercial or industrial light fixtures? Are ballasts included as well?
- How to I dispose of my pre-crushed lamps?
- What happens to the fluorescent bulbs I drop off at LightRecycle depots?
- What do I do with residential-use lights that have broken accidently?
- I paid an eco-fee on the CFL I purchased. Will I receive a refund when I bring the burnt out bulb in for recycling? (With Bonus Video)
Mercury-Containing Products
- Where can I safely dispose of mercury thermostats?
- What happens to thermostats once they are collected?
- What can I do with liquid mercury and thermometers?
Miscellaneous
- What should I do with my empty aerosol cans?
- Can disposable diapers be recycled?
- Where can I take my spent Brita filters?
- Are single-use coffee and tea pods, such as those from Keurig and Tassimo, included in any recycling programs?
- Where can I take my used coat hangers?
Municipal Recycling
- Do I have to peel the labels off glass bottles and jars?
- Where can I get a blue box or recycling bin for my home?
- Where can I pick up a composter or a rain barrel?
- I just moved to a new municipality and they don't collect the same blue box materials as my old municipality. Why is that?
- I noticed that there are changes to what is accepted in my recycling collection. Who is implementing these changes and what does it mean for me?
Paper
- Where can I recycle my phone books?
- Are paperback and hardcover books included in my curbside recycling program?
- What can I do with shredded paper?
Paper Packaging Material
- Can I recycle my single-use cups that I get from Starbucks, Tim Hortons, and other coffee shops? (With Bonus Video)
- How can I recycle my broth and soup aseptic containers like Tetra Paks? (With Bonus Video)
- What can I do with my waxy food containers, such as those for ice cream and microwavable meals?
- What can I do with my spiral wound containers, such as those for juice concentrate, potato chips, cookie dough and coffee?
Plastic Packaging
- What can I do with my plastic bags and overwrap? (With Bonus Video)
- What can I do with my foam packaging material that comes around electronics or appliances? (With Bonus Video)
- Can I recycle my food grade polystyrene packaging, such as egg cartons and meat trays?
- Where can I recycle my plastic take-out containers from restaurants?
- Where can I recycle my plastic or paper-fibre lined plant pots and trays?
Recycled or Reusable Products
- Where can I find reusable waste items such as plastic pails, fabric scraps, boxes, etc?
- Where can I get used building materials?
- Where can I find a list of local charities that accept items for donation?
