What can go in Plastics and Container Recycling (please rinse)

• Plastic bags (i.e. bread bags, overwrap for paper towel, toilet paper, deli pouches, chip bags, bubble wrap, cereal liners)
• Glass bottles and jars (& lids)
• Metal cans (steel & aluminum)
• Soft drink cans
• Hot and cold beverage cups
• Plastic bottles, jars & jugs
• Aluminum trays and foil (clean)
• Foam packaging (e.g. meat trays, takeout containers, dishes, packaging)
• Empty metal paint cans (dry, lids removed)
• Gable top cartons (e.g. milk, juice, soup, sauce cartons)
• #5 and #6 wide-mouth dairy containers
• All food and household plastic containers #1–7 (except #6)
• Plastic fruit, egg, salad containers and cups
• Tubs and tub lids (yogurt, margarine etc.)
• Ice cream containers
• Toothpaste tubes, deodorant, hand cream tubes
• Small item packaging, hand sanitizer bottles, plant pots
• Aerosol containers (e.g.food spray, hairspray, air fresheners)

What does not go in Plastics and Container Recycling

Place these items in your regular garbage (alcohol containers to be returned for refund, where applicable).

• Scrap metal & wire hangers
• Containers that held hazardous products
• Hard Plastics
• Light bulbs
• Ceramics
• Compact fluorescent lights
• Alcoholic beverage containers

Recyclable Materials

• Boxboard (cereal boxes, rolls of paper towel, toilet tissue rolls, shoe boxes, tissue boxes)
• Pizza boxes
• Community newspapers, flyers, brochures, magazines, telephone books
• Corrugated cardboard (flattened/bundled/tied)
• Detergent boxes
• Egg cartons
• Paper laminate packaging (pet food bags, food service paper bags)
• Kraft (brown) paper bags
• Magazines, catalogues, junk mail & office paper
• Newspapers and flyers (plastic bags removed)
• Gift wrapping paper / greeting cards

Large quantities of boxboard and corrugated cardboard must be flattened, no larger than 30 inches x 36 inches, tied for easy handling and put next to the Blue box.

Non-recyclable Materials

Place these items in your regular garbage or green bin if accepted.

• Facial tissues (green bin)
• Soiled paper
• Paper coffee cups (put in plastics/containers recycling)
• Reports with plastic spines
• Waxed cardboard
• Waxed paper
• Fast food drink cups
• Foil wrapping paper / ribbons
• Chocolate bar / candy wrappers

North Grenville is no longer responsible for the Blue Box program. Under the Ontario Government’s Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016, Ontario’s Blue Box Regulation shifts responsibility for the Blue Box Program to the organizations that produce products and packaging. Under the old system, communities shared the costs.  

Starting July 1, 2023, communities began transitioning their Blue Box programs to this new extended producer responsibility framework. North Grenville transitioned on October 1, 2023, with the Blue Box program now being managed by Circular Materials.  During the transition period, you won’t notice any difference to your pick-up schedule or the materials you can recycle. What’s changing is who is responsible for funding and operating the recycling system.

Circular Materials is a national not-for-profit organization that is committed to building efficient and effective recycling systems where materials are collected, recycled and returned to producers for use as recycled content. Circular Materials is committed to increasing recycling rates across Ontario and ensuring more materials are looped into the circular economy, benefiting both people and the environment. Learn more at www.circularmaterials.ca/ON, or on our dedicated community page www.circularmaterials.ca/northgrenville.

Taxpayers are not paying for the majority of the Blue Box program as the producers of the materials are responsible to collect from residential and other select sources. Council did approve the collection from identified businesses which the Municipality is paying for through taxation until 2026. 

The Municipality does receive money to collect Blue Box materials at its Oxford Mills Transfer Station and is working on an agreement to receive funding towards the waste guides.

The producers of the recyclable materials are responsible for the operation of the Blue Box program which includes its funding. Circular Materials is managing the program and has contracted Emterra to collect in North Grenville.

As the Municipality is no longer responsible for the operation of the program there is no provincial funding. 

Garbage and green bin collection remains the responsibility of the Municipality, who has contracted Emterra: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 1-888-597-1541.

A blue box must be used for recycling collection. To purchase one, please contact Emterra Environmental at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 1-888-597-1541 or purchase at your local hardware store.

If your recycling has not been picked up, these are the most common reasons why:

• boxboard/cardboard not properly set out (i.e. loose, not bundled, not flattened or too large)
• Incorrect recyclables (i.e. fibre on a container day)
• Non recyclables placed in blue box
• Recyclables hidden behind snowbank or parked vehicle
• Recyclables are frozen in a snowbank
• Not set out before 7:00 am

Avoid over-filling your blue box as it results in recyclables littering the roadway. Use multiple blue boxes. Clear blue plastic bags are acceptable for plastics and containers.