Newmarket blue box checkers will be making the rounds Aug. 16 to Sept. 9

Town's educational campaign is back, there are no penalties for putting improper items in recycling bin

Yorkregion.com
Aug. 15, 2022
Lisa Queen

Do you know how to put litter in its place?

If so, you could get a thumb’s up from the town.

Newmarket’s annual blue box campaign is back, running from Aug. 16 to Sept. 9.

The public educational campaign aims to remind residents to put waste in the right place by properly recycling items in the blue box.

Town staff will be performing random visual inspections of materials placed at the curb for recycling to ensure only recyclable items are placed in the blue box.

If they have visited your area and poked through your blue box, residents can expect to see one of two different sets of door hangers left behind at the door.

One door hanger will identify that there are items in the blue box that do not belong.

The other door hanger will identify that residents are doing a good job with their recycling efforts.

This is an educational program and no enforcement will be conducted by the staff member if the blue box is found to contain improper items.

However, Green For Life (GFL) may leave blue boxes at the curb if contamination is found as part of its regular set-out requirements with the town.

Items placed in the blue box that are not acceptable include plastic disposable masks and gloves, shopping bags, plastic bags full of recyclables, newspapers still in their plastic sleeve, Styrofoam, takeout cups, black plastic, any food or liquids left in containers, plastic toys, batteries, medical waste, coffee pods and takeout cups.

Each municipality has its own set of rules of what is accepted for recycling. Find out Newmarket’s rules at newmarket.ca/blueboxrecycling.

If you aren’t sure what goes where, use the Recycle Coach app on the website or download it onto your mobile device to find out.

Do not overfill your blue box. Flatten boxes to save space. Place heavier items on top of lighter items in your blue box to prevent lighter materials from blowing out of the bin and becoming litter.

Cardboard boxes can be placed out for collection beside your blue box if flattened and in securely tied bundles no larger than 36 inches by 36 inches by eight inches.

Residents can exchange their broken blue box for free by calling GFL at 1-866-421-5625 and scheduling a replacement bin exchange.

“I would like to thank and recognize our community for always being environmentally conscious and for our continued efforts to divert waste from landfills. With waste generation rates stabilizing as we recover from the pandemic, and our regional diversion rate continuing upward at 65.8 per cent, it is important that we continue to pay close attention to what is placed in our recycling blue boxes,” Mayor John Taylor said.

“Each year as a region we have exceeded our diversion goals. In fact, in 2021, Newmarket, alongside York Region, achieved the highest division rate in the GTA. Let’s continue this trend by putting waste in the right place to reduce blue box contamination.”