Paper cups have long been a point of confusion in recycling programs. They look like paper and feel like paper, so it seems like they should be recyclable like paper. Because of the other materials used to make them, many programs didn’t accept them. That has now changed.

Manitobans can recycle empty paper cups

Empty paper cups are now accepted for recycling across Manitoba. That includes coffee cups, fountain drink cups, Slurpee cups, and other paper cups. Next time you have one to recycle, here’s what to do.

How to recycle paper cups

Remove the lid, empty the cup, and put the cup in your recycling bin. Paper sleeves on coffee cups can stay on.

Emptying the cup matters: food, liquid, and other leftover contents can affect paper quality and hurt the recycling process.

Why are paper cups now accepted?

Recycling programs can only accept paper items that paper mills are able to process. Paper cups have a thin coating that lets them hold liquid, and they’re often printed with strong dyes. Both make the cups harder to process and limit what mills can turn them into compared to plain paper and cardboard — which is why many programs historically left them out.

Our team worked with recycling partners to review processing requirements, paper market conditions, and local recycling data. We determined paper cups can now be responsibly managed across Manitoba’s household recycling system.

Reducing is still the best option

The best way to reduce waste is to use less. Most coffee shops let you use your own travel mug, and many takeout restaurants and convenience stores will fill a cup you bring yourself. Bring your own cup if you plan on getting a drink on the go.

If you forget your mug one morning, or stop for a soda this summer, go ahead and recycle the cup.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably a recycler. And you probably want to recycle and reduce waste as much as you can.

Below you’ll find an abundance of options to reuse or recycle things that can’t go in your blue bin. A few things in this list don’t have recycling or reuse options, but we included them because they can be particularly problematic if they end up in the blue bin.

If you’re ever curious if something can go in your blue bin, be reused, or recycled elsewhere, look it up in our Recyclepedia search tool.

A

Aerosol Cans

See Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).

Aluminum Foil & Trays

Wash and reuse trays when possible.

Although aluminum cans are accepted in your blue bin, aluminum foil and trays are not because they’re blended with other materials and require a different process to recycle. Because of this, there is a limited end market for it.

Appliances

Donate working appliances to a thrift store or charity.

Find a repair guide online to fix your appliances. If you can’t repair them, some appliance stores accept broken appliances to repair or use the parts to repair other appliances. Contact your local store.

If you have a working fridge or freezer that’s over 20 years old, Efficiency Manitoba offers a $30 rebate for each one you replace. They’ll also pick them up and recycle them for free. See full details.

To recycle non-working appliances made primarily of metal: see Scrap Metal.

Automotive Oils, Antifreeze, & Containers

Used motor oil, oil filters, transmission fluid, gear oil, and other fluids used for lubricating machinery and equipment (as well as their empty containers) should be properly disposed of at a licensed EcoCentre.

Many garages/automotive shops and community depots serve as EcoCentres for Manitoba Association for Resource Recovery Corp (MARRC). Find one near you. Do NOT put them in your blue bin or garbage; they’re harmful to the environment.

EcoCentres collect oils, anti-freeze, containers, filters, and diesel exhaust fluid containers to be recycled or converted into energy.

B

Batteries (Lead-Acid/Automotive)

Take lead-acid batteries (e.g., car batteries) to a Canadian Battery Association drop-off location. Many garages/automotive shops and community depots serve as drop-off locations. Find one near you.

Do NOT put them in your blue bin or garbage; they can be harmful to the environment if disposed of improperly.

Batteries (Single-Use and Rechargeable)

Recycle batteries at a Recycle Your Batteries Canada! drop-off site near you.

They accept single-use and rechargeable dry-cell household batteries weighing up to 5 kg (11 lbs.). Common examples include:

• A, AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, button cell.
• Rechargeable batteries for electronics and power tools.
• E-mobility batteries used on devices such as e-bikes and e-scooters.
• See all accepted battery types.

Do NOT put them in your blue bin or garbage; they’re the leading cause of garbage and recycling truck fires and can be harmful to the environment if disposed of improperly.

• Collect batteries in non-metal containers and store them safely.
• Protect battery terminals with tape or in plastic bags before storing or recycling.

Bicycles

Donate working bikes to a thrift store or check with local bike shops, clubs, or non-profits to see if they accept bike donations. Some will refurbish damaged bikes or use the parts for repairs.

In Winnipeg, you can take bikes and parts to any 4R Winnipeg Depot to be reused or refurbished through their program with W.R.E.N.C.H., which provides residents with affordable or free bikes.

Blankets

Donate to a thrift store or animal shelter.

Black Plastics

Black plastics, regardless of their plastic number, are not accepted in your blue bin. The automated machinery used to identify and sort plastics can’t identify black plastics, and there is a limited end market for them.

Blister Packs with Foil

Blister packs with foil or metallic material (e.g., medication and chewing gum blister packs) are not accepted in your blue bin. Please put them in the garbage.

Many optometrist clinics in Manitoba accept contact lens blister packs for recycling. Find one near you.

Blister packs with a cardboard back or fully plastic blister packs (e.g., clamshell packs) are accepted in your blue bin. Please separate cardboard from plastic before recycling.

Books*

Books (hard and soft cover) in their entirety are not accepted in the blue bin. Donate books to a thrift store if they’re intact.

*Book pages are accepted in your recycling. Please remove the pages from the binding before putting them in your blue bin. Put the binding in the garbage.

Bread Bag Tags/Tabs

Bread bag tags are not accepted in your blue bin because they’re too small to be sorted and end up getting lost during the sorting process. This post has great ideas for reusing them, such as labelling and organizing cords.

Broken glass

Broken glass isn’t accepted in your blue bin because the small shards contaminate other materials and aren’t able to be sorted. Put broken glass in the garbage.

“What about glass that breaks during recycling collection?” you may be wondering. Other materials such as cardboard, paper, and plastic containers act as padding, so very little glass breaks and isn’t problematic.

Bubble Wrap & Bubble Mailers

Bubble wrap and mailers/envelopes/parcels lined with plastic bubbles are not accepted in your blue bin.

You can donate these and other packing/shipping materials to most thrift stores. Local craft, art, and antique sellers may be open to taking them too. Alternatively, you can use them to safely store fragile items, such as glassware and holiday decorations.

Building/Construction Materials

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStores (in Winnipeg and Brandon) accept a variety of construction and renovation materials in new and gently-used condition.

Many communities accept certain building materials for community use or recycling at local waste sites, such as Winnipeg’s 4R Depots. Contact your community to learn what options are available.

C

Cards (Plastic)

Credit cards, debit cards, and gift cards aren’t accepted in your blue bin. Please cut up your expired credit cards before disposing of them in the garbage.

Cassette Tapes & CDs

Donate tapes, CDs, and cases to a thrift store.

Caulking Tubes

Please put plastic caulking tubes in the garbage.

Ceramics

Donate ceramics to a thrift store. Some communities accept ceramics for recycling at community waste sites.

Clothes

See Textiles

Compressed Gas Containers

See Household Hazardous Waste (HHW)

Coffee Filters

You can compost paper coffee filters and most other organic materials in your yard or your community’s compost program. Check your community’s website to find out if they have a compost program and what’s accepted.

Coffee Pods

Check if your brand of choice has a drop-off or send-back recycling program for their pods.

Cutlery

Metal, plastic, and wood cutlery are not accepted in your blue bin. Reuse them as much as possible. Donate metal cutlery to a thrift store and compost wood cutlery that can no longer be used.

D

Diapers

⚠️ Please put diapers in the garbage.

Reusable cloth diapers have made a comeback in recent years. They’re not realistic for everyone though. They take time to clean and can be expensive to wash if you use a laundromat, but they’re a great way to reduce waste and save money in the long run for some.

DVDs & Cases

Donate to a thrift store. Alternatively, some retirement/personal care homes accept DVDs to use for movie nights or to lend to residents.

E

Electronics

Many retailers and depots across Manitoba collect electronics for recycling on behalf of the Recycle My Electronics program. Find a location near you.

Donate working electronics to a thrift store. Find a repair guide online.

F

Filters (Air or Water)

Terracycle has a partner program with Brita Pitchers, so you can recycle the pitchers, filters, and dispensers. Check if the brand you use has a recycling program.

Fluorescent Light Bulbs & Tubes

See Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).

Food Scraps

Compost food scraps and most other organic materials in your yard or your community’s compost program. Check your community’s guidelines to find out what’s accepted.

Food Storage Containers (e.g., Tupperware)

Reusable food storage containers are not accepted in your blue bin. Donate them to a thrift store. You can recycle metal containers at some depots or scrap dealers.

Note: plastic single-use food containers (e.g., for takeout food) are accepted in your blue bin, except for black plastic and foam.

Furniture

Try to repair damaged furniture before discarding it. Donate furniture to a thrift store or non-profit, even if it’s damaged (just ensure the amount of damage is acceptable to the receiver). If it’s too damaged to donate, post it online for free. Many hobbyists will take even heavily damaged furniture and repair/restore it.

G

Gift Bags (Plastic)

Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

Glass Products/Glassware

Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

Glass packaging, such as bottles and jars, is accepted in your blue bin.

H

Hangers

Donate to a thrift store. Metal hangers can be returned to a drycleaning company.

Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), Fluorescent Lights, & Paint (including containers)

Take these products, including empty containers, to a participating retailer or depot near you for safe disposal. Liquids must be in their original container. See a full list of qualifying products:

• HHW
• Fluorescent Lights
• Paint

These products should never be dumped in sewers, drains or disposed of in landfills. Help protect our environment by properly disposing of hazardous materials and containers.

I

Inhalers/Puffers

See Medications

Ink/Toner Cartridges

Some brands have recycling programs for their cartridges. HP’s program has drop-off points at Staples and London Drugs retail locations, or you can request free shipping labels to mail back your cartridges. Check your brand of choice’s website to see if they have recycling options.

J

Jewelry

Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

Juice Pouches

Put juice pouches in the garbage.

Juice boxes are accepted in your blue bin.

K

Keys & Keychains

Reuse old keys for art/crafts and donate key chains to a thrift store.

Knives

Reuse or donate to a thrift store. Cover blades when disposing knives in the garbage.

L

Laminated Paper

Put laminated paper in the garbage.

License Plates

Return Manitoba license plates to Autopac. Donate others to a thrift store or take them to a scrap metal depot.

Light bulbs

Throw non-fluorescent light bulbs in the garbage. See Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) for fluorescent light disposal.

M

Mattresses, Toppers, & Box Springs

Donate these if they’re in decent condition. In Winnipeg, you can recycle mattresses and box springs at the Brady 4R Winnipeg Depot or Mother Earth Recycling for a fee.

Medical Sharps

Safely dispose of medical sharps at a participating pharmacy near you. Get instructions here.

Sharps include:

• Needles and syringes
• Infusion sets
• Lancets
• Pen tips
• Pre-filled syringes, cartridges
• Auto-injectors

Improper disposal of medical sharps can cause serious harm to others.

Medications & Health Supplements

Safely dispose of health supplements and medications (over-the-counter and prescription meds) at a participating pharmacy near you. Get instructions here.

Improper disposal of medications and supplements can harm people, animals, and local ecosystems. Never pour medications down the drain.

Recycle empty pill containers in your blue bin (no black plastics).

Mirrors

See Glass Products

Motor Oil, Oil Filters, & Containers

See Automotive Oils, Antifreeze, & Containers.

N

Nails, Bolts, and Screws

Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

Needles, Syringes, Lancets, & Auto-Injectors

See Medical Sharps.

P

Paint & Paint Cans

See Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).

Paper Towels & Tissue Paper

Compost most organic materials in your yard or your community’s compost program. Check your community’s guidelines to find out what’s accepted.

Do not compost paper towels or tissues if they’re contaminated with cleaning products, paint, oil, or other inorganic compounds.

Pencils & Pencil Crayons

Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

Pens, Markers, and Mechanical Pencils (Plastic)

Reuse or donate to a thrift store. Recycle empty and broken plastic writing utensils at a Staples retail location.

Pesticides & Containers

See Household Hazardous Waste (HHW).

Plastic Bags

Reuse plastic bags as much as possible. Some grocery stores and retailers have bins to recycle plastic bags. Find one near you.

Plastic Plant Pots

Reuse or donate to a thrift store. Many nurseries/greenhouses accept plant pot donations as well.

Plastic Wrap

Use reusable beeswax wraps or cloths to cover/wrap food instead.

Pots, Pans and Baking Trays

Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

Power Cords

See Electronics

Power Tools

Check if you can find a repair guide online. Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

For battery recycling options: see Batteries.

Propane Tanks & Cylinders

Reuse or return refillable propane tanks to a retailer.

See Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) to recycle single-use gas cylinders/canisters properly.

Q

Q-Tips/Cotton Swabs (plastic)

Put plastic cotton swabs in the garbage. Get a reusable or compostable alternative if possible.

R

Rope

Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

Rubber

Reuse or donate rubber products to a thrift store.

S

Scrap Metal

Take scrap metal to a metal dealer or depot.

Scrap Wood

Reuse or donate to an artist or builder. See Building/Construction Materials for lumber recycling options.

Sponges

Sanitize sponges in hot water to keep them fresh longer. Reuse them for other cleaning purposes when they become too dirty for dishes.

Try a more reusable option, such as a washcloth or brush.

Styrofoam/Foam

Many Styrofoam products and packaging, such as cups and packing peanuts, are becoming less common in Canada. But you’ll still encounter some, particularly with large products like electronics. Here are some ideas to reuse it:

• Use it as a plant pot filler.
• Line a box with it and put it in your car; you can put groceries in it to keep them cool on the drive home.
• Use it for storing fragile items in boxes or tote bins.

If you’re interested in more ideas, this article has 20 ways to reuse Styrofoam.

T

Textiles

Look up basic sewing tutorials online to repair clothing and home textiles. Small tears can be fixed with just a needle and thread. For complicated repairs, go to a seamster.

Reuse or donate unwanted textiles to a thrift store.

Tires

Take used tires to a Tire Stewardship Manitoba drop-off location for free. Many tire shops and automotive dealerships accept used tires for recycling*.

Learn more about how Tire Stewardship Manitoba recycles tires.

*Note: The drop-off location finder linked above sometimes doesn’t load all available locations. Please call your closest tire shop to find out if they take used tires (most do).

Toothbrushes

Reuse toothbrushes as a cleaning tool. They work great for spot-scrubbing shoes, clothes, and hard to reach places around the house.

Toys

Reuse or donate to a thrift store.

Thermostats

Take mercury-containing thermostats to an HRAI thermostat drop-off location near you for safe disposal for free. Find out if your thermostat contains mercury.

Mercury is toxic to people, animals, and the environment. Please dispose of thermostats properly.

V

Vapes/E-Cigarettes

Check if your local vape store accepts used products for recycling. See Batteries for battery recycling options.

VHS Tapes

Reuse or donate to a thrift store. Some retirement/care homes accept VHS tapes to use for movie nights or to lend to residents.

W

Wet/greasy boxboard and cardboard

Compost food scraps and most other organic materials in your yard or your community’s compost program. Check your community’s guidelines to find out what’s accepted.

Note: A bit of grease on a pizza box is okay to recycle in your blue bin, but don’t put cardboard with excessive grease in your blue bin.

Wine Corks

Recycle corks at a Liquor Mart cork collection bin.

Which Shipping/Delivery Packaging to Recycle

How much packaging do you go through during the holiday season? All the holiday shopping and Black Friday deals can leave you with mountains of boxes, bags, parcels, and plastics—especially if you shop online.

It’s important to know which packaging materials you can recycle in your blue bin, so the most wonderful time of year isn’t the most wasteful. It’s also important to know what can’t go in your blue bin, because recycling processors handle more material during the holiday season.

Use the list below to find out which common shipping materials are accepted or not accepted in Manitoba residential recycling programs.

Shipping packaging accepted for residential recycling

Cardboard boxes

Note:

• Staples, tape, and shipping labels don’t need to be removed (although it’s appreciated if you do).
• Do not nest other items inside of boxes; this can lead to materials being improperly sorted.
• Flatten and/or cut large boxes to fit them loosely in your blue bin.

Corrugated cardboard wrap/cushioning

Molded paper inserts

Kraft paper

Paper-padded envelope

Note: These packages are lined with soft padding made of paper and glue. They’re a recyclable alternative to plastic-padded envelopes.

Shipping packaging NOT accepted for residential recycling

Plastic-padded envelope

Note: These packages may have a paper or plastic exterior, but are lined with bubble wrap, which isn’t accepted for recycling.

Soft or rigid foam (e.g., Styrofoam)

Bubble wrap

Plastic air bags/pillows

Note: Some retailers accept plastic bags for recycling.

That covers the bulk of shipping packaging you’ll encounter. If you’re unsure if you can recycle something that isn’t on this list, try looking it up in the Recyclepedia or check out our holiday recycling guide.

Recycling contamination is a problem, and the reasons may surprise you.

A load of residential recycling may contain items that don’t belong, but that doesn’t mean the entire load is contaminated or no longer fit to be recycled. High-tech sorting facilities can separate your recycling from the things that don’t belong. So, what’s all the fuss about contamination in the blue bin, and what happens to contaminated recycling?

What is recycling contamination?

Recycling contamination occurs when anything that isn’t allowed in a blue bin ends up in one. It varies by location, but for Manitoba’s residential recycling programs this includes:

Items that are not accepted in the blue bin in your community, such as:

• Garbage
• Organic waste
• Items that can be recycled through depots but can’t go in your blue bin, as they require special handling (e.g., electronics, household hazardous waste containers, batteries, and much more).

Items that are accepted in your blue bin, BUT:

• they contain excessive food or liquid (note that some residue is fine; check out this video to see how clean containers should be).
• they have been bundled together (i.e. put in an opaque plastic bag or nested inside other materials).

On average, 15% of the items collected in Manitoba’s residential recycling are contaminants. We list the most common contaminants later in this article.

What happens to contaminated recycling (and what doesn’t)?

A somewhat-common belief exists that if someone’s recycling is contaminated, everything goes to the landfill, no matter how perfect the rest of the recycling is. This is not true. If it were, there wouldn’t be a point in collecting recycling, because there’s bound to be some contamination in every truck load.

Once collected, residential recycling goes to a sorting facility. Workers and machines sort accepted recyclables by material type and then compact them into bales. Nearly all non-accepted items get filtered out and taken to a landfill. The sorters aren’t perfect, so some residual waste may get baled with recyclables.

The bales are then shipped to end-markets (i.e., paper mills, metal or plastic processors) that process the materials to be used to manufacture new products. The processors that purchase the bales permit some contamination and will remove any residual waste that doesn’t belong. If the bales repeatedly exceed the permitted level of contamination, the processors may refuse them. But don’t panic—this is rare thanks to the high efficacy of modern sorting facilities.

But if that’s the case…

Why is recycling contamination a problem?

1. Worker safety and equipment damage

Many items pose risks to collection and sorting staff and their equipment. For example, batteries are the most common cause of recycling truck and sorting facility fires.

Although most recycling is sorted by machinery, staff must first remove contamination by hand (which moves quickly along conveyor belts) that could damage equipment. Furniture, scrap metal, and other large or sharp objects can injure sorting staff.

Biohazards like pet waste or leftover food, and chemical hazards like fluorescent light bulbs can have the potential to cause serious illness to the workers that handle them.

Plastic film and bags are surprisingly detrimental; they get tangled in machinery, and workers that remove them may not see potential hazards under or in the bags.

2. Increased transportation (more fuel emissions)

As mentioned, any non-accepted items collected get sorted out. They then need to be taken to a landfill. This adds an extra trip to dispose of things that could’ve been collected by the residential garbage trucks already on the road. It ends up taking two trips to end up in the same place it would have had it been just put in the garbage bin.

3. Contamination of accepted recyclables

Perfectly good recyclables occasionally don’t get recycled due to contamination. This typically happens in one of three ways:

a) Nesting – When different types of materials are placed inside each other (e.g., a soup can inside a cereal box) which can prevent sorters from putting them into the correct stream.

b) Improperly bagging recycling – In many communities, it’s ok to put your recycling in clear bags. But if they’re put into black or opaque bags, staff can’t see whether it’s recycling or garbage, and they typically won’t open them for safety reasons.

In many communities, such as Winnipeg and Brandon, the only time a clear bag should be in the blue bin is if it contains shredded paper. Other materials can’t be bagged—not even in clear bags. This is because staff need to manually open and empty the bags before they reach the sorting line. There’s an enormous amount of recycling that needs to be processed daily, and if too many people bag their recycling, sorting staff won’t have time to safely open and empty every bag on top of all the other things they do to keep the facility running.

c) Excessive food and liquid – Metal, glass, and plastic recyclables aren’t easily affected by food or liquid contamination. As long as there’s not a lot of food or liquid in them, they’ll be baled and sent to end-markets that will clean them of any food, dirt, or other residue.

Paper and cardboard aren’t as resilient. Paper quality decreases when it absorbs food or liquids, and it can’t be washed like plastic and metal. For this reason, paper-based items can become contaminated if unemptied containers in the blue bin or recycling truck leak onto them.

4. Increased costs

Each problem above increases operational costs. Plus, when would-be recyclables are thrown out because they’re tainted by excessive food or liquid, it reduces revenue from material sales that help offset program costs.

How to reduce recycling contamination.

You can help reduce your community’s recycling contamination rate by following the steps below:

• Make sure your containers are empty before you toss them into the blue bin.
• Toss your recyclables into the bin loosely; don’t nest the materials (i.e., stuff them into one another) and don’t bag them unless your community’s program permits.
• Don’t put anything in your blue bin that your community does not accept.

When in doubt, check the Recyclepedia. It shows you what can go in your blue bin and what can’t. It will tell you any special recycling instructions, and let you know if other recycling options are available for items that can’t go in your blue bin.

Top 10 most common contaminants in Manitoba recycling.

DO NOT put these in your blue bin:

• Styrofoam
• Coffee pods
• Clothing and textiles
• Compostable packaging
• Pots and pans
• Aluminum foil and plates
• Paper towels, tissues and napkins
• Plastic pouches and laminates (e.g., chip bags, bread bags)
• Ceramics

Other common types of contamination that can be recycled or safely disposed at depots and/or retailers, but not in your blue bin:

• Batteries
• Electronics
• Household hazardous waste (HHW)
• Ink and toner cartridges
• Medications (e.g., capsules, tabs, ointments) and some medical sharps.
• Paint cans (full or empty)
• Oil, antifreeze, and their containers (even when empty).
• Plastic bags and cellophane
• Thermostats containing mercury
• Tires

Author: Joel Larson

Does Manitoba Recycle Glass?

Does Manitoba Recycle Glass?

We’ve all heard at some point in our lives that glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly without loss of quality.

It’s true, glass can be recycled forever. But is it recycled in Manitoba?

It’s complicated.

In short, glass is reused, but not as new bottles the way it used to be. This is due to the change in where glass containers are produced.

In the 1950s, producers started to transition from glass to plastic to make containers, opting for its cost-effectiveness, durability in transportation, and lighter weight.

When food and beverage containers were mostly glass, producers had bottling facilities scattered throughout Canada. It was expensive and risky to transport the heavy, fragile containers over long distances. Residents could return their glass to the local bottling plants to be reused.

As plastic containers became common, bottling facilities started closing, as it was cheaper and more efficient to transport goods over long distances. Manitoba no longer has a major bottling plant. Without a close end-market, the cost and emissions are too great to transport glass to be recycled into new containers.

What happens to recycled glass in Manitoba?

The collected glass is crushed at GFL’s Winnipeg processing plant. From there, it goes to Brady Landfill, where they use it to build and repair roads.

To be clear: Manitoba is not dumping the glass in the landfill as waste , which is what people often think when they hear that glass goes to the landfill. Instead, it finds a purpose as a key component in road construction. Glass serves as an environmentally friendly road base in place of sand and gravel, which need to be mined, processed, and transported.

Next time you hear that glass is being discarded in Brady Landfill, rephrase it to “glass is being reused as road base at Brady Landfill”

Are there other ways Manitoba could reuse or recycle glass?

We are all about sustainability and always looking for ways to reuse what can’t be recycled in Manitoba. There has been some exciting research done to find new ways to use glass, like this study at the University of Manitoba about using crushed glass to filter river water.

The study checked how well crushed recycled glass works in water filters for small town wastewater treatment in Dunnottar, Manitoba. Researchers compared it to regular sand filters over 128 days. The results showed that it works almost as well as sand in cleaning the water of contaminants like dirt and ammonia. The researchers think glass could be a good replacement for sand in these filters.

Manitoba Heavy Construction Association published a report which suggests crushing old concrete to use for new roads and buildings. Even though it doesn’t talk much about glass, it does mention we can recycle various things like glass, asphalt, and more for construction use.

Many organizations care about the environment, and we are looking for solutions to curb the waste of resources. These are just a few examples.

One day the market may change, and we could start recycling glass here in Manitoba again.

The important thing is that glass is already accepted in the blue bin, and it’s reused in Manitoba.

The Ultimate Manitoba Holiday Recycling Guide

The Ultimate Manitoba Holiday Recycling Guide

There are a few things you can always expect during the holidays: family dinners, exchanging gifts, and the clean-up that follows. Download our Manitoba holiday recycling guide to see how to best dispose of gift bags, wrapping paper, and other holiday items. We go into more detail on the most common holiday items below.

Don’t see the item you’re looking for? Look it up in the Recyclepedia to see if it belongs in your blue bin or a drop-off location near you.

Can you recycle gift wrap?

Brown craft paper is accepted for recycling in Manitoba. Coloured and/or shiny wrapping paper is not accepted. The intensity of dyes in the paper makes taking the ink of out the paper inefficient and cost-prohibitive to recycle.

Can you recycle gift bags?

Plain paper gift bags are accepted in your blue bin – just remove the handles so they don’t get caught in the recycling machinery. Plastic gift bags and coloured paper gift bags are not accepted. Save your gift bags to reuse next year.

Can you recycle holiday decorations?

Any decorations you no longer use can be donated to a thrift store. Holiday decorations and string lights are not accepted for recycling in your blue bin. Broken string lights can be dropped off at Urbanmine for metal recycling.

Can you recycle Christmas trees?

Most municipalities have a Christmas tree recycling program available for real trees. This gives people an opportunity to responsibly recycle their trees and wreaths after the holiday season is done. Reach out to your local municipality for details. Artificial Christmas trees aren’t recyclable. Donate your old tree to a second-hand store.

What do you do with extra recyclables?

You can drop off excess packaging that won’t fit inside your recycling bin at your local recycling depot or transfer stations for free. Download our guide here.

Your household blue bin is for recycling packaging and printed paper. But there are lots of recyclable items that don’t belong in your blue bin (for reasons outlined below). You can visit drop-off locations, accessible to most Manitobans, to recycle batteries, electronics, tires, and more.

Scroll down to find recycling locations for common household items that don’t belong in your blue bin or garbage. Alternatively, you can search for any of the items below in the Recyclepedia to find out where to recycle them in your community.

Alternatively, you can search for any of the items below in the Recyclepedia to find recycling and safe disposal locations near you.

Where to recycle batteries?

Call2Recycle has over 700 drop-off locations to recycle batteries across Manitoba. Look out for their green and brown cardboard drop boxes (pictured above). They accept single-use and rechargeable batteries that weigh under 11 pounds. You can recycle almost any battery found at home: the little one in your watch, the rechargeable one in your drill, your cell phone battery, and more.

Why can’t batteries go in your blue bin or garbage?

• Batteries are the leading cause of recycling facility fires and can cause garbage and recycling truck fires — they pose fire and explosion risks that can harm workers, damage equipment and delay recycling.
• They contain compounds harmful to the environment.
• They contain metals that are environmentally harmful to mine.

Where to recycle electronics?

Recycle My Electronics (EPRA) accepts most common household and vehicle electronics, with drop-off locations accessible to most Manitobans including several northern communities. Some examples are TVs, portable devices, computer equipment, audio equipment, and more.

Why can’t electronics go in your blue bin or garbage?

• They pose fire and explosion risks that can harm workers and damage equipment.
• They contain compounds harmful to the environment.
• They contain metals that are environmentally harmful to mine.

Where to dispose of medication and medical sharps?

Health Products Stewardship Association (HPSA) runs a take-back program for prescription, over-the-counter (non-prescription) medications, and natural health products. Most pharmacies participate in the program and will dispose of your unused medications safely. Pills, skin creams, cough syrups, supplements and all other medications are accepted.

HPSA also runs a return program for medical sharps, however the have a different search tool for finding drop-off locations. Participating locations will also provide free sharps containers so you can safely store used sharps until you return them. Accepted sharps include:

• Needles and syringes
• Infusion sets
• Lancets
• Pen tips
• Pre-filled syringes and cartridges
• Auto-injectors

Why can’t medications and medical sharps go in your blue bin or garbage (or toilet)?

Medications — even natural health products — can harm people, animals, and ecosystems if not properly disposed of. There are already traces of pharmaceuticals in our soil and water from improper disposal.

Sharps also pose a risk to the environment and can harm and spread infections to family members, friends, animals, and municipal workers.

Where to recycle Household Hazardous Waste (HHW), Paint, and Lightbulbs?

Product Care Association of Canada has dozens of drop-off locations across Manitoba for recycling harmful products and their containers, including paint, light bulbs, and household hazardous waste. There are exceptions, but most products with a hazard symbol (see image above) are accepted at Product Care drop-off locations.

Why can’t HHW go in your blue bin or garbage?

• They pose fire, explosion, poison, toxicity, and corrosive risks that can harm workers and damage equipment (even when empty).
• They contain compounds harmful to the environment and the public.

Where to recycle motor oil, oil filters, and anti-freeze?

If you change or top up your oil, you should know about Manitoba Association of Resource Recovery Corp’s drop-off locations. They accept oil, oil filters, antifreeze, and Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). They also accept empty containers, which can’t go in your blue bin or garbage.

Why can’t oil and antifreeze go in your blue bin or garbage?

• They can harm workers and damage equipment.
• They contain compounds harmful to the environment and the public.

Where to recycle used tires and tubes?

If you’ve run out of tree to build tire swings, end-of-life tires and tubes are accepted at Tire Stewardship partner locations across Manitoba. They accept vehicle and bike tires. In 2022, they reported recycling 18,666 tonnes of tires.

Why can’t tires and tubes go in your blue bin or garbage?

• They can harm workers and damage equipment.
• They contain compounds harmful to the environment.

Where to recycle Thermostats containing mercury?

It may seem odd that there’s a recycling program for thermostats, given that they’re small and don’t need to be disposed of often. But they contain mercury, which needs to be carefully disposed of when you replace a thermostat. You can find a drop-off location near you on HRAI’s website.

Why can’t thermostats go in your blue bin or garbage?

They contain mercury, which is toxic for humans, animals, and harmful to the environment.

One-stop shop recycling depots

4R Winnipeg Depots

If you live in or around Winnipeg, 4R Winnipeg Depots are your ‘one-stop shop’ for recycling. The depots accept the items listed above as well as blue bin materials, yard waste, scrap metal, and more.

The depots are free for residents to use and are open throughout the year. There are three depots in the city:

• Brady 4R Depot – 1777 Brady Road
• Panet 4R Depot – 429 Panet Road
• Pacific 4R Depot – 1120 Pacific Avenue

Community transfer stations and waste disposal sites.

Most communities accept the various materials listed above at their transfer stations or waste disposal sites. Check your community website to find out what you can recycle at your local transfer station.

This contest is over.

Teachers—show us how your classroom reuses, reduces, and recycles to be entered to win a cash prize.

What is the Remarkable Recycler Contest?

We’ve teamed up with Bell Media to encourage teachers and students to practice and promote waste reduction. Enter your class for a chance to be selected as our Remarkable Recyclers and win a cash prize for your class. There will be new winners each week, and some winners will be featured on CTV Morning Live or Bell Media’s Winnipeg and Brandon radio stations (see below)!

Enter to be a Remarkable Recycler.

Submit a photo showing how your class makes an effort to recycle (students do not need to be in the photo). Some examples are:

• A recycling corner with educational posters and guides.
• A class project focused on recycling and waste reduction. Check out our lesson plans for ideas.
• Anything your class does that encourages or helps students recycle!

The contest is open to all Manitoba teachers from kindergarten to Grade 12. We recommend students and parents tell their teachers to enter!

Teachers can enter easily online through one of our partners’ websites:

• CTV Morning Live
• 103.1 Virgin Radio Winnipeg
• Bounce 96.1 & Pure Country 101.1 Brandon

Share this contest with anyone who you think is making a difference. We can’t wait to see all the remarkable ways they recycle!

Are you unknowingly contaminating your recycling?

It’s your birthday! You pull a shirt out of the gift bag your aunt and uncle gave you. Trying your best to pretend you love it, you toss the bag aside. Your aunt stops you and says there’s something else in the bag. You look back inside. Hidden at the bottom is a $100 gift card—a gift card you came close to losing out on…

This is what can happen to materials in your blue bin when you put them inside other recyclables (also known as nesting). The difference is your aunt was there to let you know about the gift card. There’s no one to tell the machines and workers who sort your recycling there’s a soda can hidden at the bottom of a cereal box.

Nesting recyclables is recycling contamination.

Nesting may seem like a harmless way to save space in your blue bin, but it’s a form of contamination. Even if all the nested materials are accepted for recycling, the different materials can end up getting baled together. This is because most recycling is sorted by automated machinery. Magnets pull metal food cans and lids, and optical sorters use lights and sensors to identify and separate plastics. The sensors can’t detect when there are other materials inside containers or boxes.

Recycling processors have staff who sort nested materials when they see them, but some get missed. Winnipeg’s residential recycling program collected an average of 210.4 tonnes of materials per day last year. It’s impossible to catch everything that doesn’t belong, and some bales get contaminated—but that doesn’t necessarily mean the bales don’t get recycled.

What happens to contaminated recycling?

In most cases, contaminated bales still get recycled. So, what’s wrong if they’re contaminated with other materials? Let’s think back to the soda can in a cereal box example.

When the bale of boxboard gets to a paper mill, the soda can and any other non-paper materials in the bale get thrown out.

Not only does the soda can not get recycled, but it also wastes energy, money, and time by going through the collection, sorting, and shipping processes just to end up in the garbage.

What if materials nest themselves?

Let’s say you do your best and put your recyclables into your blue bin individually. There’s a chance that gravity and movement will nest some materials on the way to a recycling facility. How can you prevent this from happening?

An empty, collapsed box can’t nest anything. Neither can a plastic tub with a lid on.

However sometimes things just don’t have a lid. What now? The best thing to do is avoid overfilling your bin. All materials should be loose in the blue bin.

How to save space in your blue bin.

Too much takeout? Too many deliveries? Too many bulk store visits? Sometimes it feels like the blue bin is filling faster and faster. Here are some tips to get more space without nesting materials:

• Try to reduce the amount of packaging you go through. Some containers are unavoidable (e.g., food, especially for large families), but if your bin is filling quickly, consider buying items where the packaging can collapse (more boxes, less plastic).
• Use reusable containers: Instead of buying single-serving snacks or drinks, use reusable containers and refillable water bottles.
• Reduce junk mail: Did you know you can request direct mail to avoid your mailbox? You can unsubscribe from junk mail! Check how on Canada Post website.
• Collapse cardboard and boxes; no need to remove the tape.
• Crush beverage cans by hand. Crushing cans by hand is fine, but using can-crushers can increase the chance of cans falling out of bales.
• Crush plastic bottles: Squeeze or crush plastic bottles to minimize their size. Make sure to put the cap on so they don’t get lost during the sorting process.
• Empty and rinse containers: You don’t need to scrub them spotless, but try to remove any remaining food, liquid, or other substances. Put the lids back on all containers (except for glass containers with metal lids). Having lids on will prevent smaller objects from getting inside.
• Only put accepted items in the blue bin. Your recycling could be filling fast because you’re wish-cycling – when you have an item that isn’t accepted, but you’re not sure, so you put it in your blue bin and hope it gets recycled. The intentions behind wish-cycling are good, but it leads to contamination and is counterproductive. The collection, sorting, and transporting of contamination from the recycling facility to the landfill leads to more emissions than if you had disposed of it properly.