- Home
- Services
- Garbage & Recycling
- Recycling Centre Locations, Hours, Accepted Materials, and Fees
- Accepted Materials & Fees
Accepted Materials & Fees
The following materials are accepted at CVRD Recycling Centres & Garbage Drop-off Depots. Prices are subject to change without notice. The CVRD operates many drop-off depot locations within the region. For a comprehensive list of what goes where, check the Recyclopedia, an online searchable database.
Customers with commercial recycling must advise the attendant.
| MATERIAL | FEE | NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Garbage | $204 per tonne $7 minimum | No recyclables. Loads containing recyclables will be subject to fine. Contact attendant to check options. |
| Asbestos Contaminated Materials | NOT ACCEPTED | Not accepted at CVRD facilities. Asbestos contaminated materials that are properly double-bagged in 6mm polyethylene bags, tied and labelled "asbestos" are accepted at the GFL/Coast Environmental Boys Road depot. Victoria and Nanaimo landfills will also accept this material, by appointment only. |
| Air Conditioners | Free | |
| Antifreeze & Antifreeze Containers | Free | Antifreeze may be new, used or diluted. All types of containers accepted and may contain residual product. |
| Small Appliances | Free | Includes toasters, coffee pots, kettles, clocks and more. Accepted categories include kitchen countertop, personal care, floor cleaning, weight measurement, air treatment, sports and leisure, power tools, sewing and textile, exercise machines, etc. Visit ElectroRecycle for a complete list. |
| Large Appliances | Free | Includes stoves, microwaves, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers and barbeques. |
| Batteries | Free | All disposable, rechargeable and cell phone batteries accepted. |
| Cardboard | Free | No waxed cardboard (small quantities can be included with organics instead). |
| Cell phones & Chargers | Free | Cell phone batteries also accepted. |
| Couches & Armchairs | $315/tonne (approx. $20/couch) | Upholstered furniture. |
| Clothing | Free | Must be clean and reusable. Can include shoes, blankets and accessories. |
| Construction & Demolition Waste | NOT ACCEPTED | Unfortunately, it’s hard to know if you’re working with asbestos because it is often mixed with other materials. However, if you work in a building built before 1990, it's likely that at least some of the building materials contain asbestos. If you are unsure, contact a qualified professional who can perform testing. DO NOT TRY TO REMOVE THE SUSPECT MATERIAL YOURSELF. Learn more about asbestos and how to protect yourself during renovations. |
| Containers | Free | Clean empty containers including tin cans, steel cans, empty aerosol cans, paper packaging that contained liquids (e.g. tetra paks), plastic jugs, bottles, jars, tubs, clear clamshells, garden pots and trays and takeout drink cups accepted. No biodegradable plastics, paint cans, propane cylinders, compostable plastics, foam plastics, glass or paper packaging that contained dry goods. These are accepted separately. |
| Drywall | NOT ACCEPTED | Drywall is no longer accepted at CVRD Recycling Centres. However, drywall is accepted at the following private processing facilities within the CVRD. Be sure to phone ahead as special handling conditions apply: GFL Environmental |
| Electronics | Free | TVs, computers, cables, e-toys, gaming systems and accessories, music equipment, cameras, calculators and scanners accepted. See full list of accepted items. |
| Fridges & Freezers | Free | Must be clean and empty. |
| Gas & Fuel | Free | Maximum 25L per day. Must be in approved “ULC” container. |
| Glass | Free | Clean glass containers (clear or coloured). No refundable glass bottles, lids, ceramics, mirrors, glassware, plate glass or metal (All are accepted separately. Ask attendant for details). |
| Insulation | See 'Garbage' | Fiberglass insulation must be double-bagged. Vermiculite insulation is NOT ACCEPTED at CVRD depots because it may contain asbestos. Use caution when handling vermiculite. See "Asbestos Contaminated Materials" at top of page for disposal information. Learn more about asbestos and how to handle it safely. |
| Light Bulbs & Lighting Fixtures | Free | All light bulbs and lighting fixtures including flashlights, ballasts, LEDs, halogen, incandescent and fluorescent and string lights. Visit LightRecycle for a full list. |
| Lumber & Wood | $100 per tonne | Clean wood, plywood, particleboard, strand board, clean stumps and wood with paint on one side maximum. No treated wood, lead-based paint, arborite, melamine or linoleum. |
| Mattresses | $16 per unit ($204 per tonne additional surcharge for contamination) | Innerspring, latex foam, box spring, futons and mattresses. Soiled or contaminated mattresses will be subject to additional surcharge. |
| Metal | Free | All types of metal accepted. May have some plastics or rubber attached. Includes large appliances (eg. stoves, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers and barbeques). No items containing fluids or oils. |
| Used Needles / Syringes | Free | Must be in a hard plastic container with secure lid (such as a water bottle) and labelled. Check with attendant for disposal. |
| Oil | Free | All engine, hydraulic and gear oil accepted. No furnace oil or creosote accepted. Maximum 20L per day. |
| Oil Filters & Containers | Free | All sizes and types accepted. May contain residual oils. |
| Vegetable Oil | Free | Used vegetable oil accepted. Must be in a sealed plastic container. |
| Organics (Food Waste) | First 18L (5 gallon) pail FREE $135 per tonne | Includes kitchen scraps (cooked or raw), meat, fish, dairy, grains, vegetables, food-soiled paper, paper towels, napkins, pizza boxes. May be contained in bags which are labeled 'Certified Compostable' only ('compostable' and 'bio-degradable' bags are not accepted). No animal carcasses, pet waste, offal, butchering waste or personal hygiene products. Yard waste is accepted separately. |
| Outdoor Power Tools | Free | Lawnmowers, snow blowers, gardening tools. Corded, battery-powered, fuel or electronic devices accepted. |
| Paint | Free | All oil- or water-based paints accepted. Limit of 10 containers per day. Maximum container size 25L. No unlabelled containers, tar-based products, rusted, leaking or bulging containers. Pesticides and paint thinners accepted separately. |
| Painted Wood | $204 per tonne | Painted wood |
| Paint Spray Cans | Free | All oil or water-based paints. Limit of 50 containers per day. No unlabelled containers, tar-based products, rusted, leaking or bulging containers. Pesticides and paint thinners accepted separately. |
| Paper | Free | Newspapers, cardboard, magazines, flyers, catalogues, phone books, writing paper, paper packaging that contained dry items accepted. No padded envelopes. Paper packaging that contained liquids, metal, plastic or glass containers accepted separately. |
| Pesticides (Domestic) | Free | Consumer pesticides. Must have both the poisonous (skull & crossbones) symbol and Pest Control Product (PCP) number on container. Maximum container size 10L. |
| Plastic Bags & Overwrap | Free | Bags for produce, bulk and frozen foods; outer wraps and bags for personal hygiene products; bags for groceries, bread, dry-cleaning and flyers; bags for garden products; overwrap on furniture and electronics accepted. Ensure bags are empty, remove non-plastic items, stuff into one bag and tie closed. No crinkly cellophane wrap, potato chip bags or snack wrappers, plastic shipping envelopes, bags labelled biodegradable or compostable, multi-layer or laminated plastic packaging. Sort and separate plastic bags and overwrap from other flexible plastic packaging. |
| Other Flexible Plastic Packaging | Free | Crinkly wrappers and bags for potato chips, candy, dried pasta, coffee and cereal; stand-up and zip lock pouches for frozen foods, dried fruits, granola, dish detergent pods, oatmeal, grated cheese; woven and net plastic bags for produce; flexible packaging with a plastic seal for fresh pasta, pre-packaged deli meats, pre-packaged cheese; non-food protective packaging like plastic shipping envelopes, air packets, bubble wrap. Rinse and dry items and do not stuff or nest items inside one another. No plastic squeeze tubes, 6-pack can rings, biodegradable or compostable packaging. Sort and separate other flexible plastic packaging from plastic bags and overwrap. |
| Propane Tanks & Canisters | Free | All disposable and refillable tanks accepted. |
| Refundable Beverage Containers | Free | Refundable beverage containers including beer and wine bottles accepted. Note that no refund is issued for refundable beverage containers at CVRD depots, however, all proceeds are donated to a charity of the month. For a refund, take beverage containers to a local bottle depot. |
| Roofing | $204 per tonne | Asphalt, tar and gravel roofing shingles. No plastic, wood or metal. |
| Rubble | $80 per tonne | Asphalt, bricks, concrete, concrete blocks, paving stones, gravel and rock. No plastic, wood, metal or glass (accepted separately). |
| Smoke & Carbon Monoxide (CO) Alarms | Free | All types accepted (including combination smoke/CO alarms and expired units). |
| Solvents & Flammable Liquids | Free | Liquid paint thinners, solvents, camp fuels, liquid adhesives with flame symbol. Must have a flame symbol or phrase similar to "keep away from spark or open flame" on the label. Maximum container size 10L or 660g aerosol. |
| Styrofoam | Free | Meat trays, foam egg cartons, takeout drinking cups, foam cushion packaging. Must be clean and dry. No pink or blue insulation, foam packing chips or noodles. |
| Thermostats | Free | All old mercury-containing thermostats and furnace thermostats accepted. |
| Tires | 1st four tires free. Each additional tire $2. | Passenger car, light truck and bicycle tires accepted. Rims accepted (bicycle tires must be off rims). Maximum size 21” on or off rim. No inner tubes. |
| Vehicle Batteries | Free | Car and truck batteries. All sizes and types of lead-acid units accepted. |
| Yard Waste | Free | Grass, leaves and branches less than 3” in diameter accepted. NO rock, sod or dirt. NO stumps. The following invasive plants are NOT ACCEPTED with yard waste:
Learn about free disposal options for these plants. Note: some of these plants are extremely dangerous to handle and can cause burns, blindness and rashes. Learn more about how to identify and safely handle invasive species. |