Garbage and Recycling

When putting your garbage at the curb, please remember the following:

• Each bag must have a valid Greater Napanee bag tag.
• Garbage bags or garbage containers cannot weigh more than 18 kg (40 lbs).
• Residents must have their garbage AND recycling at the curb by 7:00 a.m. on their collection day.
• A limit of three (3) bags of garbage per residential property is permitted.
• A limit of five (5) bags of garbage per commercial property is permitted.
• Waste Management Inc. has been contracted to collect all garbage and recycling within the Town of Greater Napanee
• Your garbage and recycling will both be picked up on the SAME day (unless otherwise noted).
• For more information, see the Solid Waste By-law.

Garbage bag tags are required for all bags of garbage put out to the curbside for weekly collection (a limit of up to 3 bags per residential property or up to 5 bags per commercial property). Greater Napanee bag tags can be purchased at various locations within our community. For a list of bag tag purchasing locations, please see our Buy Garbage Bag Tags page.

If you recently purchased a new home in Napanee, it is expected that the distribution of the annual bag tag allotment would be considered as part of the real estate transaction. If the previous owner did not leave bag tags for the property, additional tags can be purchased at various locations within our community. For a list of bag tag purchasing locations, please see our Buy Garbage Bag Tags page. 

Before you call our office to report that your waste was not collected, please ensure that it was not because of one of the following reasons:

Reasons Why Blue/Grey Box May Not Have Been Collected

• Materials from the incorrect recycling stream were placed out for collection (e.g. it may be a blue box pick-up week and you left out your grey box – or had grey box materials in your blue box).
• The box contained materials that are not recyclable.
• Late put out. Curbside collection starts at 7:00 am; late put outs may result in missed collection.

This list offers some of the main reasons that waste items are not collected, but it is not a conclusive list.

Reasons Why Garbage May Not Have Been Collected

• Bag tag(s) was not placed on bag(s) garbage.
• It was more than 18kg (40 lbs) and too heavy for collection. 
• More than three bags were placed at the curb for residential property.  More than five bags were placed at the curb for commercial property. 
• It contained sharp items that made it dangerous to collect.
• Late put out. Curbside collection starts at 7:00 am, late put outs may result in missed collection.

The list above offers some of the main reasons that waste items are not collected, but it is not a conclusive list.

If a notice has been placed on the material to indicate why the material was not collected, please remedy the situation and place it out for retrieval on your next collection day.

If no notice was left, please report that your waste was not collected by completing our Report an Issue form

The Town runs a blue box and grey box schedule which rotates what you can put out every other week. Check out the Blue Box/Grey Box Summary for a list of items that is accepted in the recycling box or check them out below: 

Blue Box

Place clean food and beverage containers loosely in the blue box. Do not include Styrofoam. Styrofoam should be placed in the garbage as it cannot be recycled.

Plastic

Plastic with the plastic resin symbol between 1 - 5 can be recycled. 

Polycoat

Rinse and flatten your polycoat items before placing them in your blue box. Acceptable items include:

• Milk cartons
• Juice cartons
• Tetra-pak juice boxes 

Glass Bottles and Jars

Place clean glass bottles and jars loosely inside the blue box.
Do not include: broken glass, window panes, mirrors, light bulbs, ceramics or drinking glasses 

Aluminum and Steel Cans

Please clean metal food and beverage cans, aluminum trays and foil loosely inside the blue box. Metal lids can be placed inside a can and pinched shut. Labels do not need to be removed.

Plastic Bags

Place all clean bags into an empty bag and tie it shut.
Acceptable items include:

• Grocery bags
• Milk bags/pouches
• Frozen vegetable bags
• Newspaper sleeves

Do not include: cereal/cracker box liners, plastic food wrap, zipper storage bags, meat/bacon packaging, crinkly outer packaging (e.g. pasta wrappers), pet food bags and bubble wraps. 

Grey Box

Paper Products

Acceptable items include:

• Newspaper
• White Paper
• Coloured Paper
• Coloured Flyers
• Hard Cover Books (with cover and binding removed)
• Envelopes (window can be left in)
• Telephone Books
• Catalogues
• Soft Cover Books
• Magazines

Do not include: Gift wrap, polycoat materials such as milk cartons, juice cartons and Tetra-pak juice boxes 

Boxboard

Flatten and bundle or place inside another box. Acceptable items include:

• Cereal/cracker boxes
• Frozen food boxes
• Egg cartons
• Paper towel tubes
• Drink trays
• Greeting cards

Corrugated Cardboard

Remove staples and tape. Flatten and bundle no bigger than 36" x 24" x 8". There is a 6 bundle limit per collection. Place beside your grey box.

Do not include: wax-coated boxes or soiled pizza boxes 

What Stays Out of the Recycling

The following items cannot go into the recycling:

• Food or liquids
• Foam cups or containers
• Loose plastic bags
• Green Waste - i.e. leaves, grass or brush
• Clothing, furniture or carpet
• Batteries
• Hoses, holiday lights, hangers and extension cords
• Concrete, wood and construction debris
• Electronics
• Paper napkins, plates, cups and tissues
• Tire, auto parts and scrap metal
• Non-recyclable plastic

Please see our Waste Diversion page to learn how to properly dispose of some of these items.

Blue boxes can be purchased for $8.50 each at 99-A Advance Avenue, Napanee.

Not sure of the pickup schedule for the holidays? Please see the municipal calendar for information on garbage and recycling schedules around the holidays.

Waste Management may sometimes use the same truck to collect curbside garbage and recycling. Waste Management has 2 stream trucks in their fleet which keep waste streams separate within a single truck. This is why you may see garbage and recycling put in the same truck - but rest assured, they are separated from one another at the sorting facility. 

The same Waste Management driver may also collect garbage and recycling in one day at two different times. Once a truck is emptied of one waste, i.e. garbage, it may be used again on the same route to then collect recycling.

• Always make sure that the lid is secure on your garbage container and/or tie garbage bags individually
• Don't put your garbage and recycling outside until the morning of your collection day. This should help to avoid rodents and scavengers.
• Put recyclables in a clear plastic bag on your collection day rather than leaving them loose in the blue box
• Place heavier items near the top of the blue/grey box to hold down other items

Did you know that nearly half of what Ontarian's put in the trash is not actually garbage? Use the following tips to help increase waste diversion within Greater Napanee:

• Use the blue/grey box: All residents within Greater Napanee have curbside recycling collection. Take advantage of this service and put your recycling out to the curb! 
• Make recycling convenient: Put small recycling bins around your house in any locations that you already have a waste basket.
• Avoid contamination in your recycling: Make sure your items are thoroughly rinsed and clean. Keep foods and liquids out of the recycling. One food-soiled item can turn an entire load of recycling into trash. 
• Think before you buy: Avoid purchasing highly packaged items. Look for items that are packed in materials that you know are recyclable. Buy grocery items in bulk and repackage them into smaller portions yourself with reusable containers.
• Use a Backyard Composter: Food scraps, yard waste and soiled paper products can all be composted and reused in your garden. 
• Reuse or Donate: Other people can reuse your unwanted clothes, books and other various household items. Try giving away these items to friends, family, or consider donating them. Many household items can be used for different purposes. Get creative!