Frequently Asked Questions
View Our Frequently Asked Questions Below!
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For all blue box tips and tricks, and the dos and don’ts of recycling check out our sort card!
Hazardous waste can be taken to our hazardous waste depot in Belleville at 75 Wallbridge Cres. Or you can wait for a hazardous waste mobile event that is coming to an area near you. For hazardous waste depot hours and mobile even dates, check out our hazardous waste schedule.
Even though it is commonly thought that since these products are partially made of fibre they can be recycled, they are not a good product for the blue box. This is due to a variety of factors: the wax on the inside of the cup is difficult to separate in the manufacturer’s recycling process, the fibre is a different material then the fibre in cardboard, newspaper, or cartons; and paper cups are quite often contaminated with drink products. The residue in take away cups contributes to the contamination of other products. The best thing to do as an active environmental resident in our area is to use reusable travel mugs!
Plastic that is dyed black indicates the end of the plastic’s life-cycle. For manufacturers who buy plastic materials to recycle into new plastic products, black plastic is not high quality and therefore diminishes the quality of the recycled product. The simple reason we no longer recycle this product at Quinte Waste Solutions is because there is no longer a market for the product because it is low quality. Black plastic goes into the garbage.
There are three main reasons why your blue box may have not been collected:
- You’ve mixed paper products with plastic and metal containers. In Quinte, residents are asked to keep paper separate from plastic and metal containers. Take the sorting tutorial here.
- You placed paper products in the taller (more than 18″ high) blue box. The tall blue box is for plastic and metal containers only. Paper products belong in the standard smaller sized blue box.
- You’ve set your recycling out late. Our drivers start their days at 7AM, and have since 1990. While collection days do not change, routes often do. To ensure collection, always have your blue box out by 7AM.
- You’re put non-recyclables in the blue box. Click here for a list of what is accepted in the blue box program.
- Your materials are dirty. Dirty recycling contaminates the good materials. Make sure your recycling is relatively clean and dry.
- There’s medical waste in your blue box. No amount of medical waste is recyclable. For more information, visit our page on Medical Waste.
While the plastic that oil containers are made of is recyclable (hence the symbol), the problem is that the oil in the container gets absorbed right into the plastic, contaminating the plastic for recycling purposes. Companies that purchase this high-density polyethylene plastic (code 2) quite simply do not want to accept loads of plastic that contain empty oil containers. You can take empty oil containers to our Household Hazardous Waste Depot or any mobile event.
Fluorescent tubes are recyclable through our Hazardous Waste Collection Program. Download a copy of our Household Hazardous & Electronic Waste Schedule and list of acceptable items. Regular incandescent bulbs are not recyclable and should go in the garbage.
Blue boxes are usually available from your local municipal office. While there is normally a fee of about $15.00 policies may vary from one municipality to the next. You can also exchange your broken blue box for a new one, free of charge. Click here to find a location near you.
No, wood is not a recyclable product in our program. Even though it comes from trees and so does paper, they are very different materials.
Empty metal paint cans that have 1/4″³ of dry paint or less in the bottom can be placed in your Containers Blue Box with the lids off. Some newer paint cans are made of black plastic, and if this is the case then the paint can is not recyclable.
If the paint cans have paint in them, bring them to the Household Hazardous & Electronic Waste Depot. Paint cans that are made of plastic are not accepted in the blue box. For a complete list of acceptable items and events schedule, download a copy of our Household Hazardous & Electronic Waste Brochure.
Unfortunately, K-cups cannot be accepted in our program because of the size and risk of contamination. Even if the pods are rinsed out the size of the pod means that it is too small to make it on to the conveyer to be sorted. Please put K-cups in the garbage. If you’re interested in how things are sorted in our facility and why it’s so tricky to recycle small items, check out our sort line video!
Straws aren’t recyclable because they are too small to make it on to the sort line. Items that are very small in size simply fall through and don’t get sorted. Straws are also made of very low-quality plastic and have high contamination because they are often used to drink sticky substances. Please put straws in the garbage. If you’re interested in how things are sorted in our facility and why it’s so tricky to recycle small items, check out our sort line video!
You can buy a backyard composter at 270 West St. in Trenton for $55. For information about curbside collection in your municipality head to our composting information page.
Clothing is not accepted in the blue box program. If you have old clothes that you need to get rid of, consider donating them to a local thrift store in your area.
In Quinte, we ask that residents place glass on top of their papers because it is easier for drivers to see when they are picking up the blue boxes. Even though it may look like the drivers are dumping everything in the same place in the side of the truck, they are actually sorting everything into different categories. Glass has a spot at the front of the truck. Keeping glass separate keeps sharp pieces off of the sort line where it may cause injury to the people who sort all of your recycling by hand. For more recycling tips and tricks check out our sort card!
Yes! Tetra-packs and juice boxes after they are rinsed go in the papers blue box. A good tip is to crush them down so they take up less room in your papers bin. Please remember to throw away the straw that comes with your juice box. For more information about what is accepted in our blue box program check out our sort card!
