Whether you like to plant flowers, vegetables or herbs, or work on projects in the yard, summer season is in full swing. But what do you do with the extra plastic and packaging once you’re done setting everything up? Here’s a list of items commonly used in the yard, and how you can recycle them in Manitoba.
- Building materials: Once you’re finished making your backyard beautiful, Habitat for Humanity will accept some building materials for donation. For more details, you can visit their website. You can also drop off extra building materials at any of Winnipeg’s 4R Depots.
For residents who live in Brandon, there are drop-off locations specifically for building materials at the Eastview Landfill. For more information, please visit their website.
Building materials such as bricks and concrete tiles will be reused for road repair and construction.
- Ceramics: Ceramics such as garden decorations and plant pots are not accepted in your blue bin. You can donate your unwanted ceramics to a local second-hand store if they are still in good condition. The 4R Winnipeg Depots will also accept ceramics for recycling at any of their locations. The ceramics will be crushed and reused for roads and pads at Brady Resource Management Facility.
- Garden hoses: These aren’t accepted in your blue bin for recycling, as they get tangled up in the machinery and can cause delays at the Material Recovery Facility (MRF.) Please put hoses and other tanglers in the garbage.
- Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): When sprucing up the backyard, you may use some liquids that are classified as Household Hazardous Waste (HHW.) These are products could include pesticides, pool and hot tub cleaner, and flammable liquids.
These products are not accepted in your blue bin. To safely dispose of them, visit the Product Care Recycling website. Find a drop-off location near you.
- Paints: If you’re doing any sort of painting this summer, remember to recycle it through the Product Care Recycling program. Please do not place paint cans in your blue bin.
Read more about what types of paint their program accepts, and to find a drop-off location closest to you on their website.
- Plastic plant pots: Plastic plant pots are not accepted in your blue bin. However, most greenhouses and nurseries will accept them for reuse. Contact your local greenhouse or nursery to see if they will take them. The 4R Winnipeg Depots will accept these for recycling in their ‘Large plastics’ category.
- Soil and rocks: Residents can drop off their extra soil and rocks at any of the 4R Winnipeg Depots. The material will be reused as cover at the Brady Resource Management Facility.
- Soil and fertilizer bags: Soil and fertilizer bags are not accepted in your blue bin for recycling.
- Yard waste: Yard waste is not acceptable in your blue bin. However, the City of Winnipeg will collect yard waste biweekly with your cart collection. Grass clippings, shrub and bush clippings, and small branches (less than 10 cm in diameter) are accepted in the paper bags. The yard waste will be composted and reused. For more details, visit their website.
For residents outside Winnipeg, there are various locations to drop off your yard waste.
Before placing anything in your blue bin, it’s important to check with your local municipality first to see what is and is not accepted. Remember that recycling happens in all areas of the home, inside and out.
Happy gardening!