Community Recycling Centres
27 Olympic Drive, Dundas (map)
37 Kilbride Road, Hamilton mountain (map)
(includes the Reuse Store)
460 Kenora Avenue, east Hamilton (map)
Garbage is something that cannot be collected for recycling or composting. Garbage goes in a landfill. Once it's in the landfill, it sits underground forever.
All waste must be placed at the curb in front of your property between 7:00 p.m. on the evening before and 7:00 a.m. on the morning of your scheduled waste collection day.
Here are some really important things you need to know about putting things in the garbage:
- You can put out up to one bag or can of garbage for pick-up each week. Any bags or cans above the one container limit will be left behind. You can put out up to three bags or cans of garbage on your pick up day after New Years Day, Victoria Day and Thanksgiving Day.
- The garbage bag or can must not weigh more than 23 kilograms (or 50 pounds) and is a maximum size of 135 litres (or 30 gallons).
- Use plastic garbage bags (any colour). Place grocery bags inside garbage cans.
- Cardboard boxes are not an acceptable container for garbage, except when used for broken glass
- Broken glass must be placed at the curb in a cardboard box clearly marked "GLASS" (cardboard boxes must be taped to prevent them from falling apart in the rain)
- You have to pay if you want to drop off garbage at a Community Recycling Centre.
- Bulk items and furniture are picked up by the City on a seasonal basis.
- Appliances or scrap metal are NOT picked up by the City.
- Construction materials like bricks, concrete and drywall are NOT picked up by the City.
If your garbage wasn't collected...
Please look at the items left behind to see if the collector left a note indicating that something may not have been packaged correctly or that an incorrect item may have been placed curbside.
If you see a bright orange sticker on your garbage after thegarbage truck has come by, it means you have made amistake. We use these stickers, called "Oops! stickers", tohelp you figure out what you did wrong.
You will get an Oops! sticker if you:
- Stuff so much garbage into your can that the collector can't get it out.
- Put anything in the garbage that should go in your:
- blue boxes,
- green bin, or
- yard waste bags or cans.
- Put out more than one bag or can of garbage for pick-up.
- Put out a bag or can that weighs more than 23 kilograms (or 50 pounds).
Tips to Reduce Waste
- Know what items can go into your Blue Box and recycle all possible items
- Buy only what you need, use all that you buy
- Instead of buying commercial household cleaners, use less toxic alternatives
- Buy in bulk and try to eliminate excess packaging
- Take re-usable bins or canvas bags to the grocery store
- Kindly decline plastic bags when they are unnecessary
- Shop at used goods stores
- Instead of buying seldom used items rent them or borrow from a friend
- Consider repairing or reupholstering furniture before discarding
- Use a composter to reduce your organic waste going to landfill
- Use reusable gift bags rather than paper wrap
- "Lug a Mug!" - take a travel mug with you to the coffee shop
- Take a litterless lunch to school or work or eat at restaurants with reusable dishes
- Use cloth table napkins rather than paper napkins
- A reusable coffee filter can replace many paper filters
- Use cloth rags and mops rather than one-time-use disposal products
- Donate magazines to Senior's residences or Doctor's offices
- Choose quality products that are durable
- Think about the entire lifecycle of a product - from manufacturing to use to disposal.
Special consideration
A special consideration policy has been developed for medical circumstances, families with three children or more under the age of five, registered home day cares and agricultural businesses with a need to put out more bags or cans of garbage. Those receiving special consideration are allowed to place up to three (3) containers at the curb each week, if needed.
To apply for the special consideration, you can:
Special Consideration application forms are also available in PDF format. Follow the instructions on the form.