GARBAGE, RECYCLING & COMPOSTING

Blue Recycling Bins

Learn what types of bins you can use for recycling and what items to avoid putting in your blue bin in the Town of Stouffville.

Recycling bins

The maximum sized blue bin you can use is 65 cm long, 50 cm wide and 50 cm high. We recommend always using Town-issues blue bins. You can buy additional blue bins for $16 each. We are not responsible for non-approved recycling containers being collected, damaged or returned after collection.

Blue and Green Bin Purchase

We will not collect recycling that is in:

  • Blue bins or containers with lids or nets
  • Cardboard boxes
  • Plastic bags

To save room in your blue bin, you can break down cardboard and boxboard into tied bundles and place them next to your blue bin for collection. Please ensure that bundles are no larger than 90 cm by 90 cm by 30 cm.

To replace broken blue and green bins, please contact GFL Environmental at 1-866-421-5625 or wasteline@gflenv.com. Please note that broken bins must be present at time of delivery for free replacement.

To receive a new resident package, please contact GFL Environmental at 1-866-421-5625 or wasteline@gflenv.com within one month of moving in.

Non-recyclable items

Not all papers and plastic are recyclable. We won’t collect recycling from blue bins that contain:

  • Black plastics
  • Disposable coffee cups
  • Film plastic
  • Household hazardous waste [link to Hazardous Waste Disposal page]
  • Plastic bags
  • Plastic utensils
  • Shredded paper
  • Straws
  • Styrofoam
  • Takeout containers
  • Waxed takeout cups

For questions on what materials you can recycle in Stouffville, contact wasteline@gflenv.com or call 1-866-421-5625.

How we recycle material

Check out our recycling video to learn where your recycled materials go after we collect them, how we sort them and how they get recycled into new products.

Windy days

On windy days, lighter contents in blue boxes can often be found blowing out of bins resulting in litter blown on our streets and on our neighbours' properties. To help prevent this from happening, here are a few suggestions to keep blue box contents in their place:

  • Place heavier items such as books and magazines on top of the lighter items. This should help prevent light blue box materials (such as paper) from blowing out of the bin.
  • Do not place non-recyclable material in your blue bins such as plastic bags, Styrofoam or disposal coffee cups. These items should go in the garbage.
  • Bundle cardboard and newspapers separately.  These bundles can act as a ‘lid’ for your blue box.
  • On windy days, consider putting your recycling boxes out for collection in the morning, rather than the night before or skip that week's collection and place your recycling out for following week if your blue boxes aren’t full.
  • Do not overfill your blue box. Keep material below the rim to prevent the wind from catching. There is no limit to the number of blue boxes put out for weekly collection. 
  • Do not stack blue boxes. If the wind is strong enough it will blow these bins over.
  • Write your house number on your green and blue bins, in case you need to retrieve them.
  • Remove all empty blue and green bins from the curb after collection as soon as possible. The Town will not replace lost bins.
  • Please help keep your neighbourhood clean by picking up debris from your property.

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