What Goes Where for Businesses
While Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) comes into effect on Dec 1 2025 for residential curbside collection, the Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) sector will continue to use previous sorting rules, which can be found below.
Business Sorting Guide - English
Acceptable materials for Blue Bag Container Recycling
- All plastic containers and plastic tubs (like pop bottles, yogurt containers, margarine containers, etc).
- Stretchy film plastic (like plastic bags, cling wrap, bubble wrap, bread bags, etc). If you can stretch the plastic with your thumb it can be recycled in this bag. Rigid or non-stretchy film plastic is garbage.
- Glass bottles and jars
- Steel and aluminum cans (paper labels can stay on)
- Clean aluminum foil, aluminum pie plates, and aluminum casserole dishes
- Milk cartons and jugs
- Juice cartons and juice boxes
- Juice pouches
- Refundable beverage containers
Unacceptable materials for Blue Bag Container Recycling
- Bottle caps, spray bottle heads, soap pumps, and container tops/lids (these are garbage).
- Styrofoam is garbage
- Non-container plastics (like toys, game pieces, etc)
- Batteries must be recycled through a battery recycling program
- Broken glass should be placed in a box labeled broken glass and disposed of in the garbage
- Compostable or bio-degradable plastics should be placed in the garbage
- Paper recycling must be kept separate from container recycling
Acceptable materials for Paper Recycling:
- Clean and dry paper (printer paper, construction paper, receipt paper, etc).
- Newspapers and flyers
- Glossy magazines
- Catalogues
- Envelopes (with or without plastic windows)
- Paper egg cartons
- Paper drink trays
- Boxboard (cereal boxes, frozen pizza boxes, cracker boxes, etc)
- Shredded paper
Unacceptable materials for Paper Recycling
- Wet or dirty paper (let it dry and then recycle)
- Paper covered with food (can go in the green cart)
- Corrugated cardboard must be bundled separately from paper and container recycling
- Container recycling must be kept separate from paper recycling
All corrugated cardboard must be flattened. (Including appliance and pizza boxes). Keep separate from paper and container recycling.
Acceptable materials for Organics:
- all food scraps
- fruit and vegetable peelings
- table scraps, meat, fish, bones
- dairy products
- fat, cooking oil, and grease
- bread, rice, pasta
- coffee grounds, filters, tea bags
- eggshells
- food napkins
- kitchen paper towels and soiled paper
- wooden cutlery (100% wood, no coating)
- paper plates (no plastic coating)
Tip: Use boxboard or one sheet of newspaper to wrap wet food waste.
Unacceptable materials for Organics:
- NO plastic bags or 'compostable' or 'biodegradable' plastic products
- No "biodegradable" coffee cups
- No paper coffee cups
- No "biodegradable" plastic cups or packaging
- NO paper or Styrofoam coffee cups
- NO ashes
- NO waxed or film packaging
- NO corrugated cardboard (i.e. pizza boxes)
- NO cans, bottles, or glass
- NO decorations or wire wreaths
- NO milk containers
- NO pet or animal waste
- NO soil, sods, rocks, logs or tree trunks
- NO grass clippings
Garbage includes items that are not recyclable or organic waste.
Acceptable materials for Garbage Collection
- Hot coffee cups and lids
- Disposable paper cups and lids
- including cups labeled 'compostable' or 'biodegradable'
- Diapers
- Pet waste
- Dog poop bags
- Cat litter including clay, crystals, wood pellets, newspaper, paper pellets
- Cage liners
- Bedding including wood shavings, paper pellets, etc.
- Empty Aerosol containers for non-hazardous materials (example: empty whipped cream aerosol container)
- Styrofoam
- Chip bags
- Granola bar wrappers
- Wax paper
- Non-container plastics (toys, game pieces, plastic packaging)
- Broken glass (must be in a box labeled broken glass)
- Bottle caps, spray bottle heads, soap pumps, and container tops/lids
- Laminated paper
Unacceptable material for Garbage Collection
Paper and container recycling. Including:
- Paper drink trays
- Fast food paper bags (paper recycling or green cart)
- Shredded paper
- Milk cartons and jugs
- Juice boxes
Food waste belongs in the green cart.
Hazardous Waste including:
- Paint
- Corrosive Cleaners
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Gasoline
- Motor Oil
- Solvents and Thinners
- Medications
- Hazardous Aerosols
- Small propane and butane containers
Batteries can be recycled, visit recycleyourbatteries.ca for more information.
Electronics
If your electronic product has reached its end-of-useful life, you can recycle it free of charge through Recycle My Electronics. Collection sites include many Enviro Depots and return to retail (box store) locations.
Collection and containers
Collection containers and service can be arranged by contacting a private waste hauler. Many local retailers sell bins that can be used inside your business. There are many styles and sizes available to fit any business.
Mini green bin alternatives: Cracker boxes or other box board packaging, ice cream containers and coleslaw or plastic laundry pails are inexpensive and re-usable. Bio-degradable or compostable bags are not acceptable in the green bin.
Sorting and signage
You must post signs to give instructions on proper sorting to staff, tenants, or visitors. In apartment buildings that have a garbage chute, a sign must be posted telling residents where to find bins for recycling and organics collection. To help your employees at your business or residents in your building, sorting labels and sorting guides are available for download.
Businesses (including restaurants, apartment buildings, and institutions) are required to have sorting programs and commercial containers for disposal of blue bag recyclables, paper and cardboard, organic materials, and garbage. Failure to provide these programs can result in a Summary Offence Ticket under Bylaw S-600
Waste disposal information
Debris from construction and demolition cannot be mixed with regular garbage and must be taken to a licensed facility in the Halifax region. This includes material such as lumber, old roofing, gyproc, and concrete. These materials are not accepted for drop-off at the Otter Lake Waste Facility.
All loads for delivery to a waste facility MUST be securely tarped.
Businesses are required to contact a private hazardous waste handling company for proper disposal of chemicals.
Used cooking oil and trap grease must be collected by a rendering service.
The following products contain mercury:
- CFL and fluorescent bulbs
- thermostats
- household thermometers
- button cell batteries
Light bulbs and other products containing mercury are not accepted for disposal at the Otter Lake Facility and must be handled through a private contractor.
Dan-X Recycling (64 Trider Cres, Burnside) accepts CFL and fluorescent bulbs from businesses. Inquire with Dan-X Recycling for the costs associated with these services.
Halifax Solid Waste staff can help set up sorting programs at your business by providing signs, hosting workshops, or conducting waste assessments. Send an email to wasteless@halifax.ca for more information.
Download the Halifax Recycles App
The Halifax Recycles web widget and mobile app can be used to search what goes where.
Waste facility information
Hours of operation
Monday to Friday: 6:00 a.m.– 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Sunday (residential drop-off area only): 1:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Fees
The tipping fee is $126.50 (+HST) per tonne ($12.65 per 100 kg). For loads weighing less than 100 kg, a flat fee of $5 is charged. Rates are subject to change.
Payment accepted by cash, debit, or credit card. A deposit may be required for cash customers.
Requests for credit account application can be directed to 902-453-3490, or accounts@mirrorns.com. This includes customers with existing credit accounts with the municipality.
All loads arriving at the Otter Lake Facility are inspected for unacceptable material, the acceptance standards of the municipality, and the disposal requirements of Nova Scotia Environment.
The following materials are not accepted at the Otter Lake Facility:
- construction, demolition and renovation debris
- materials banned under the NS Environment Act
- recyclables
- organics
- dangerous or hazardous goods
- radioactive materials
- explosives or flammables
- liquid wastes or sludge
- wastes that produce a toxic leachate
- biomedical or Infectious wastes
- international wastes
- asbestos
- regulated tires
- animal carcasses
- unapproved special wastes
20 Horseshoe Lake Drive, Bayer's Lake Park, Halifax
Hours of operation
Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Drop-off bins are available during open hours.
Fees
There is a $45 (+HST) per tonne ($4.50 per 100kg) fee for drop-off. Loads weighing under 50 kg are no charge.
Requests to open an account at the recycling facility can be made by calling 311.
Hours of operation
Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Fees
There is a $100 (+HST) per tonne ($10.00 per 100kg) fee for drop-off.
16 Mills Drive, Goodwood
188 Ross Road, Westphal
Halifax C & D Recycling Ltd
902-876-8644
Hours of operation
Monday to Friday: 7:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Sunday: Closed
Fees
Check with the facility operator for fees, and for changes in hours of operation on or around holidays
Helping Businesses Navigate Biodegradable/Compostable Products
Is your business looking for environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use items like cups or cutlery? Are you considering purchasing "compostable" or "biodegradable" packaging? We want to help!
New biodegradable products appear on the market regularly and we want to help businesses navigate these products. Before making the switch, contact Halifax Solid Waste at wasteless@halifax.ca to make sure the items you are considering can be composted or recycled in our program.