Recycling

Recycling is one way that we contribute to environmental sustainability and reduce the amount of waste that goes to the landfill, which in turn decreases long-term costs by extending the life of the landfill site. Recyclable materials are not accepted in garbage collection.

We are currently transitioning to a new recycling collection and processing provider. Residents may experience delays in recycling collection until November 25, 2019. For matters regarding collection please call 705-742-3139 or see our notice on the situation.

If we missed your recycling, let us know by completing our online form

Collection schedule and What Goes Where

You can use the online tool below to find the day of your collection schedule, changes due to holidays, whether a particular item is recyclable in Peterborough, and how your blue box materials need to be sorted.

Materials

You sort materials into two streams – container box and paper box.

View our printer friendly what goes where cheat sheet.

Container box

Accepted items Glass bottles and jars Steel and aluminium cans, aluminium foil and pie plates All plastic food and beverage containers Food and beverage cartons (e.g., milk, juice and soup containers) and coffee cups (lids go into the garbage) Empty paint and aerosol cans Do Keep all containers loose Rinse containers if they are excessively soiled Flatten containers whenever possible Remove lids from coffee cups – the lids are garbage Don't Bag containers, keep them loose Put in ceramics, china or non-container glass Put in Tupperware-type containers Put in Styrofoam

Paper box

Accepted items Newspaper, magazines, novels Cardboard, boxboard, file folders Office paper, envelopes Hard-covered books (covers removed) Film plastic Inner tubes from wrapping paper Brown bags Do Bundle and tie loose cardboard Put light items on the bottom so they won't blow out Place paper items in a grocery bag to reduce blowing Stuff all plastic film into one bag and tie the top of the bag Remove hard covers from books Don't Put in waxed cardboard Put in paper towels or tissues Put in chip bags, cheese wrappers or stretch wrap

You should put out recycling no earlier than 6 p.m. the night before your collection day and no later than 7 a.m. the morning of your collection.

For issues regarding recycling collection, please call the Recycling Collection Contractor at 705-742-3139 or email peterborough.public@emterra.ca. 

Blue boxes shouldn't be any heavier than 22 kg (50 lbs) when full. Please use only proper blue boxes (14-, 18-, and 22-gallons) for setting recyclables to the curb for collection.

You can buy blue boxes for $3 each at:

• City Hall, 500 George St. N.
• Materials Recycling Facility, 390 Pido Rd. (cash only)
• GreenUP store, 378 Aylmer St. N.

Material Recycling Facility

The City of Peterborough's Material Recycling Facility is 390 Pido Rd is open to drop-off recyclables 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.

Frequently asked questions

Here are a few of the frequently asked questions about recycling:

Are coffee cups from coffee shops recyclable? Yes. Paper coffee cups are accepted in the Containers recycling stream (lids off). How do I dispose of styrofoam? Bulky white Styrofoam only (not plates, trays, cups, etc.) can be dropped off at the Pido Road 24 hour drop off depot. No curbside collection of Styrofoam. Can recyclables be placed in bags for curbside recycling collection? We request that all containers be kept loose for collection. Bagged containers create a major problems at the processing plant, including debagging and increased contamination. Starting November 1, 2019, any bagged containers will be left uncollected at the curb. Please use blue boxes for recycling. If you need to bag containers for some reason, these should be taken to the Drop Off Depot at 390 Pido Rd and emptied How do I dispose of shredded papers?  Please note that papers may be bagged; however, the bags must remain open at the top to allow easy emptying. Plastic film (grocery bags, bread bags, milk bags, etc) may also be bagged. Stuff all plastic bags into one, and tie off the top to prevent bags from spilling out. My recycling was not collected. Who do I call? For issues regarding recycling collection, please call the Recycling Collection Contractor at 705-742-3139.