Recycling

The province has transferred the responsibility of the Blue Box Program from municipalities to producers of recyclable materials. As a result, commercial, industrial, and institutional recycling must now be collected and processed separately from residential recyclable materials.   

This provincial change eliminates the previous cost-effectiveness of providing municipal curbside recycling services to non-residential properties located on residential routes. At this time, the processing capacity for non-residential materials is unknown while this transition is taking place.  

City Council has directed staff to evaluate options for non-residential recycling services later in 2026 when more information becomes available.  

Read the committee report

Help sort it right

Putting non-recyclable items into the recycling bin causes problems at the sorting facility. Please separate your recycling into a blue box for paper products and a blue box for containers. 

Paper products include:

• Boxboard (i.e. cereal, detergent, cracker and tissue boxes)
• Cardboard (i.e. clean pizza boxes, packing boxes)
• Catalogues, magazines, newspaper, and phone books
• Egg cartons
• Miscellaneous paper products such as flyers, envelopes and writing paper

Containers include:

• Paper cups
• Ice cream tubs
• Plastic blister packaging
• Milk and juice cartons, drink boxes, cardboard cans
• Aluminum and steel containers
• Empty aerosol cans
• Empty paint cans, aluminum foil and pie plates
• Glass bottles and jars
• Plastic bottles and tubs with the number 1 through 7 on the bottom of the container

Materials that cannot be recycled:

These items do not belong in the blue box or cart.  Please check the Recycle Coach App for information on what to do with them. 

• Dark coloured paper, construction paper and wrapping paper
• Ceramics, drinking glasses and dishes
• Broken glass, plate glass, window glass, light bulbs and mirrors
• Paper tissues/towels
• Styrofoam^TM (i.e., cups, packaging)
• Wood
• Plastic bags (return to your local grocery store)
• Plastic wrap
• Propane cylinders
• Toys
• Coat hangers, pots and pans
• Batteries
• Empty motor oil containers and other household special waste (i.e. pesticides) containers

What to do with glass and sharp objects

Recyclable materials are handled by collection and sorting staff.  Please do not place broken glass and sharp objects in the recycling bin.  Instead, dispose of broken glass and sharp objects by completely sealing the pieces in a cardboard box and label as "Glass" or "Sharp" and set out with your garbage at the curbside. 

If you use garbage chutes, check with your building superintendent before putting sharp object down the chutes. 

Your recycling may not have been collected for a number reasons including:

• The blue box weighed more than 18 kg (40 lbs)
• There were a large quantity of non-recyclable materials
• Paper products and containers were mixed together in the same container
• Cardboard was not flattened and bundled or contained non-recyclables (e.g., Styrofoam)
• Your Blue Box was not at the curb by 7 a.m. for collection
• Your recycling was not in a proper Blue Box. Please do not use oversized cans, cardboard boxes, plastic crates, laundry baskets, or other containers for your recyclables

Report a recycling issue

Blue boxes (one size available; 90 litres) can be purchased at City Hall or an EnviroDepot for $10 each (including tax). There is a limit of two boxes per purchase. Blue boxes can also be purchased at retail stores. If you purchase a blue box at a location other than a City depot, please ensure it is not larger than 95 litres. There is no limit to the number of blue boxes you can put out each collection.

Available for purchase at these locations:  

• City Hall – 300 Dufferin Ave
• Oxford Street EnviroDepot – 1450 Oxford St. W
• Clarke Road South EnviroDepot – 28 Clarke Road
• Clarke Road North EnviroDepot – 21463 Clarke Road, Arva
• W12A Landfill Site – 3502 Manning Drive

Residents of newly constructed homes are provided two blue boxes at no charge.  Please contact service@london.ca for more information. 

Damaged blue boxes

Blue boxes damaged by collection crews or snow plows will be replaced at no charge.  Report damaged blue boxes by contacting service@london.ca 

Blue carts are used for apartment buildings and some town home complexes.  Residents must take their recyclables to the blue carts, which are emptied once per week. Just like with the curbside residential recycling program, paper products and containers must be separated.  The carts will be labelled to identify what goes where.  If carts are not labelled or overflowing please contact your property managers or building superintendent. 

Large quantities of recyclables may be delivered to any of the City of London EnviroDepots 

How building managers can help:

• Understand your responsibilities under Ontario Regulation 103/94
• Make recycling as convenient as possible for your residents.
• Provide sufficient containers for collection and storage (it is recommended that you have one blue recycling cart for every seven units). For example, if a building has 70 units, then ten blue carts are recommended.
• For small buildings under 15 units, a minimum of two carts is required; one cart is for paper products and the other cart is for containers.
• Place blue carts at the set-out point for collection.
• Ensure that staff and residents are well informed about the recycling requirements

Property owners are responsible for purchasing recycling carts for their buildings. Carts must be compatible with the collection vehicles. The City of London is committed to working with building managers and superintendents to help residents recycle as much as possible.

Recycling carts are $100 +HST delivered. For more information on the cart subsidy program, ordering and educational materials, please contact Erin Vankemenade at evankeme@london.ca or call 519-661-2489 x 2334.

The City has launched a one-year pilot project in partnership with Call2Recycle to expand battery recycling services in London! In addition to the City’s EnviroDepots, you can now recycle batteries at the “Smart Containers” at six new locations across the city: 

• East Lions Community Centre (1731 Churchill Ave)
• South London Community Centre (1119 Jalna Blvd)
• Canada Games Aquatic Centre (1045 Wonderland Rd N)
• Startech.com Community Centre (501 Southdale Rd W)
• Central Library (251 Dundas St)
• Storybook Gardens (1958 Storybook Lane)

Smart Containers accept consumer dry cell batteries weighing 5 kilograms or less each, including: 

• Alkaline batteries (such as AA and AAA batteries)
• Lithium ion (Li-on) batteries
• Lithium primary batteries
• Nickel cadmium (Ni-Cd) batteries
• Nickel metal hydride batteries (Ni-MH)
• Nickel zinc batteries (Ni-Zn)
• Small Sealed Lead Acid (SLA) batteries (excluding SK)

As a safe handling tip, end-of-life batteries should not be stored away for more than three months. Instead, these batteries should be recycled at a participating location within that time frame.  You can store and recycle your end-of-life batteries in a plastic bag.

Recycling electronics is convenient and free

London residents can recycle their electronics at City EnviroDepots. Effective January 2021, Ontario is transitioning to a new framework for managing electronic waste.  To learn more about this process visit rpra.ca  and follow this site as the transition gets underway and new information becomes available. 

Many textiles that are thrown into the garbage can be given an extended life or reused. Most donation centres accept laundered clothing towels, linens, curtains, fabrics including those that may be worn, torn or stained for reuse or to be repurposed as rags. All donated textiles must be dry and free of any medical or hazardous liquids. As a reminder, please do not leave items outside of donation centres or bins.

• Canadian Diabetes Collection Program

• Goodwill Industries

• Mission Services of London

• Salvation Army

• St. Vincent de Paul

• Talize

• Value Village

Holiday recycling tips to keep in mind:

1. Put gift wrap, ribbons, bows, and bags in the trash can. These items are not recyclable.
2. Break down, flatten and bundle your cardboard boxes or stack them flattened in your recycling bin.
3. Things like take-out coffee cups, milk cartons, and juice boxes belong with other recyclable containers, and not paper. Here's a tip to help you sort it right: If you can drink out of it, it's a container.
4. Avoid “Wishcycling.” Just because you “wish” you could recycle something, doesn’t mean you can. When in doubt, leave it out.
5. Download the Recycle Coach app to help answer what goes where in our recycling program. Recycle Coach also includes personalized collection calendars, information on London’s recycling program, and collection reminders all accessible from your phone or device.