Blue Box material is collected once every week on your collection day.

There is currently a limited supply of Blue Boxes. If you require an additional Blue Box, call 311 to ensure availability at the pick-up sites noted below.

Blue Box information

• Use Blue Boxes only. Recyclables in plastic bags, cardboard boxes, grocery bins, laundry baskets, milk crates, or garbage cans will not be collected.
• Use Blue Boxes that are 22 gallons or less. Large over-sized containers are frequently overweight and pose a health and safety risk to our contractors who manually lift the bins.
• Tie corrugated cardboard in bundles no larger than 120 cm x 120 cm x 30 cm (4 ft x 4 ft x 1 ft) and place beside your Blue Box.
• Place acceptable materials loose in your Blue Box. You can mix papers and containers in one Blue Box.
• Rinse all containers with water to ensure they are clean.

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Acceptable Blue Box materials

• Disposable, rigid, plastic containers and packaging
• Single use plastic plates, cups and coffee cup lids (no cutlery)
• Plastic food and beverage containers
• Plastic bottles
• Plastic plant pots and trays
• Boxed beverage containers (Tetra Paks®, milk and juice cartons)
• Empty metal paint cans (dry and lids removed)
• Aluminum foil, trays, metal food and beverage cans
• Glass bottles and jars
• Cardboard cans
• Boxboard - flattened cereal, detergent and tissue boxes, etc. (liners go in garbage)
• Newspapers, flyers, fine paper, magazines and books, envelopes (including plastic windows)
• Corrugated cardboard – tie in bundles no larger than 120 cm x 120 cm x 30 cm (4 ft x 4 ft x 1 ft)

Printable list of acceptable items (PDF file).

The printable list of acceptable items is also available in other languages:

• French version of printable list of acceptable items (PDF file)
• Spanish version of printable list of acceptable items (PDF file)
• Polish version of printable list of acceptable items (PDF file)
• Punjabi version of printable list of acceptable items (PDF file)
• Urdu version of printable list of acceptable items (PDF file)
• Simplified Chinese version of printable list of acceptable items (PDF file)

Put Waste in it's Place

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Pick up an additional Blue Box

Each year, Halton residents may pick up 1 free Blue Box from the locations below.

• Halton Waste Management Site
  5400 Regional Road 25, Milton
  Open: Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
• Halton Regional Centre
  1151 Bronte Road, Oakville
  Open: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Halton North Operations
  8140 Fifth Line, Georgetown
  Open: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
• Robert C. Austin Operations Centre
  11620 Trafalgar Rd, Georgetown
  Open: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

To ensure availability, call 311 before visiting any of the sites noted above.

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Replace a broken Blue Box

Broken Blue Boxes can be returned for a free exchange to:

• Halton Waste Management Site
  5400 Regional Road 25, Milton
  Open: Monday - Saturday, 8 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
• Halton Regional Centre
  1151 Bronte Road, Oakville
  Open: Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
• Robert C. Austin Operations Centre
  11620 Trafalgar Rd, Georgetown
  Open: Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.

Broken Blue Boxes are recycled into new containers.

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Windy day tips

Blue Box material remains the responsibility of the homeowner until the material is collected.

Follow these tips to reduce Blue Box litter and help keep your neighbourhood clean:

• Don’t overfill your Blue Box.
• Bundle and tie newspaper, cardboard and boxboard and place on top of your Blue Box.
• Stack your Blue Boxes, placing heavier items on top.
• Squeeze cans, bottles and cartons.
• Put recycling out by 7 a.m., not the night before.

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