Recycling

• Aluminum and tin food and beverage containers
• Beverage containers, soft drink and water bottles (keep plastic lids on plastic bottles)
• Books (including hard and soft cover)
• Boxboard (including detergent, cracker and cereal boxes)
• Bubble wrap
• Cardboard: tied and bundled together - not to exceed 1 metre x 1 metre (40x40 inches) and cannot weigh more than 25kg (55lbs).
• Clean aluminum foil (including items made from aluminum foil)
• Clean sandwich, milk, bread and shopping bags
• Coffee cup lids
• Corrugated cardboard
• Empty dry metal paint cans and empty aerosol cans 
• Glass bottles and jars - remove lids and place separately in blue box
• Large-mouth plastic tubs, margarine tubs, yogurt containers
• Magazines, catalogues and telephone books
• Milk and juice gable top cartons and juice boxes (remove lid and place in garbage)
• Newsprint (including inserts and flyers)
• Non-metallic wrapping paper, greeting cards, and kraft paper (remove tape and any decorations)
• Paper cups (no takeout coffee or soft drink cups)
• Paper egg cartons, toilet and paper towel rolls
• Plastic garden pots (no black pots)
• Plastic pails or bottles less than five litres in size (e.g. shampoo bottles, laundry soap bottles, dish soap containers) - remove metal handles
• Spiral cardboard cans - remove lids and place separately in blue box
• Styrofoam and clamshell food trays
• Writing and computer paper

Don't know where it goes? Try our Waste Wizard!

When non-acceptable items are placed in your recycling box it lowers the quality of Muskoka's recycling program. Lower quality leads to higher recycling program costs and the potential for some material to go to the garbage/landfill. Recycling markets have become stricter about the quality of the recycling materials they accept. Please help produce the highest quality recycling possible by following these tips:

• No black plastic
• No coffee pods (even if labelled compostable/recyclable)
• No ceramics or window glass
• No Cereal/plastic liners
• No Chip/snack bags
• No construction items such as pipe, hose, tubing or siding
• No electronic items 
• No Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): propane, paint, motor oil, cleaners and batteries (take these items to a HHW Depot for disposal). No cans or aerosols that once contained motor oil, brake or transmission fluid
• No meat/cheese wrapping
• No packing Styrofoam (including blocks or peanuts)
• No pet food bags
• No picture frames, carpet, trim-moulding, diapers or dinnerware
• No pots and pans
• No propane cylinders or tanks
• No toys, lawn furniture, tools, etc.
• No stand-up pouch-style bags
• Broken glass should be placed in a cardboard box and closed/sealed/taped shut and clearly marked on the outside of the box "broken glass" and placed out with your regular garbage.   

Don't know where it goes? Try our Waste Wizard!

1. Large cardboard boxes must be broken down and bundled - maximum 1m x 1m (40x40 in) and not weighing more than 25kg (55lbs) in weight.
2. Shredded paper must be bagged in a clear bag.
3. Plastic bags must be stuffed in a plastic bag and tied shut.
4. Keep lids on plastic bottles and containers.
5. Remove lids from glass jars.
6. Rinse and empty all bottles, jars and containers.
7. Styrofoam meat trays and takeout containers must be cleaned before placing in the recycling.
8. Black plastic, including plant trays and pots, goes in the garbage.
9. Chip bags, foil wrappers, and dog food bags go in the garbage.

10. Small items less than two inches in diameter or length go in the garbage.

11. Stand-up pouches and frozen food bags go in the garbage.

Our recyclable materials are now sent to a state-of-the-art material recycling facility that can effectively sort mixed recycling.

Using just one box or bag for all your recyclable items increases the ease and convenience of recycling and allows it to be collected more quickly.

If setting curbside, residents can use any blue box or open-top container that can be manually lifted. For example, a tote, cardboard box, laundry basket, etc. 

Although loose recycling is preferred for processing your materials, clear/transparent bags are also acceptable for use at the curb. 

Wish-cycling is what happens when we toss questionable items in our blue box, hoping they can be recycled. While we all want to reduce waste and recycle as much as we can, wish-cycling is a threat to the success of our recycling program in Muskoka.

Have you ever debated in front of your blue box or tossed an item you’re not entirely sure is recyclable? Or maybe you think the recycling facility will sort out any unacceptable items that make it into your bin? This is what we call wish-cycling. The reality is that adding an item without being sure it is acceptable could cause an entire load of good recyclables to become contaminated trash - and no one wishes for that.

When the wrong things end up in our blue boxes, it costs time and money. It can even create more waste – and that is never the intent when we recycle.

When wrong things like plastic hangers, coffee pods and plastic toys make it to the recycling sorting facility, they can jam up the machinery and contaminate the other ‘good’ material.  

Recycling is done in batches. If a non-recyclable item works its way into a batch, it risks contaminating all the materials which can no longer be sold and could end up becoming garbage.  

We’re here to help. We have lots of tools to provide you with the information you need. Here are some tips: 

• Learn the recyclable items of our recycling program. 
• Try the Waste Wizard tool to search by item name and learn if it can be recycled or where it should go.
• If you still aren’t sure, please contact us. If it’s an item we haven’t thought of yet, we can add it to the Waste Wizard to help other residents as well.

Lastly, if in doubt, keep it out! We would rather you place an item in your garbage, than risk contaminating the recyclables. 

Blue boxes are available for purchase at many local stores in our community.

The District also has Muskoka branded boxes for sale at licensed Waste Facilities. There is limited stock at District facilities. 

Please note, blue boxes aren't available for purchase at the District office.

Broken blue boxes can be exchanged for a new one at no charge at our Waste Facilities. Please note, quantities may be limited at times and we appreciate your patience if stock is low. As we continue to monitor COVID-19, we continue with supply demands and delays.  
Please call 705-645-6764 to confirm if there are recycling bins for purchase.

Broken blue boxes can be recycled properly at no charge if delivered to a licensed Waste Facility. 

We cannot collect broken or cracked blue boxes at the curb for recycling. These require special handling and this cannot be accommodated in the truck.