The City of Toronto generates and manages over half a million tonnes of garbage per year. This requires a copious amount of time, money, effort, and resources, as well as a sufficient amount of landfill space to accommodate the waste. Toronto recently launched a waste management strategy that is designed to divert up to 70% of the garbage generated by the city away from landfills by the year 2026.
The city intends to reduce the amount of waste that is produced every year, as well as encourage recycling and reusing of products. In other words, less waste will also mean less garbage to manage. Here, we will discuss the things that you can throw in your garbage bin, the items you should not, and a few things you should know about disposal services in Toronto.
A good rule of thumb is: anything that you’re not sure about being recyclable should go in the trash. That means; broken mugs, wooden fruit crates, dishes, ribbons, straws, cold drink cups, liner bags of cereal, crackers, and cookies, laminated plastic film, black plastic food containers, disposal and dryer mop sheets, dental floss, and aluminum foil.
You can also throw out cotton-tipped swabs, baby wipes, feathers, pet hair, cigarette ashes and butts, toothpicks, candles, wax, and dryer lint can be thrown out. You can even throw out drinking glasses, dishes, and most light bulbs, provided they are not CFLs.
Toronto does not currently accept coffee pods in its Green Bin organics program or their Blue Bin recycling program either. If you have many coffee pods lying around, you cannot recycle them and must throw them out with the rest of your garbage.
You can also try returning them to the manufacturer or retailer, assuming they offer a take-back program. Check the company website or call to speak to a representative to determine if they offer such a program. Even coffee pods that have a compostable or recyclable label on them must either be sent back to the manufacturer or retailer or must be thrown out with your garbage.
Please note that it is just not with coffee pods, as other items that have biodegradable or compostable labels on them are not accepted into the Blue Bin or Green Bin organics program. This includes cutlery, coffee cups, packaging, and containers. This is because many of these items are made with plastic — or at least lined with plastic — that is bio-based. They need to be thrown out with your garbage or sent back to the manufacturer or retailer if they have a take-back program in place.
First and foremost, do some research into the different sizes that are offered. Some bin rental companies in Toronto will provide bins with ranging from as little as four cubic yards to as big as 40 cubic yards.
Determine how much room you need in order to remove all of your waste, as you don’t want a half-full bin — as you will end up spending extra money for nothing — nor do you want a bin that is too small; as you will need to rent out a second or third bin to take care of all of your garbage.
There general size rules that most companies follow to help you pick the right rental bin. A two to eight cubic yard bin will work for a small disposal job that involves a few lightweight items that you can easily dispose of yourself.
The next size up is the 10 to 14 cubic yard range, in which you can place heavier items such as garden waste, soil, and concrete. A 10 to 14 cubic yard bin should be sufficient to take care of a small roofing project or home renovation project.
The 20 to 30 cubic yard range of bins are suitable for tackling medium to large roofing tasks or large home renovation projects with ease. As for a 40 cubic yard behemoth, it is more than able to handle very large-scale residential renovations as well as large commercial construction sites.
It is also important to remember to set the bin close to the worksite, so you will reduce the amount of time and energy that’s needed to bring the waste to the bin. You may require a permit to place a bin near your property, so you need to look into the matter well before the bin arrives at your property to be on the safe side.
Timing is also very important, as you will be expected to pay for both the rental time as well as the weight of the waste that is taken away in the bin. You should only make the call to your local bin company when you are sure that you need to use it, as doing so will eliminate surcharges. Most companies only require a day’s notice for delivery, so don’t worry about being caught short without the garbage container you need.
Finally, do not forget to protect your driveway, as a roll-off bin can leave noticeable marks on the pavement if you are not prudent. To prepare yourself you should have some wood on hand before the rental bin company arrives at your property.
For more information about waste disposal in Toronto, call Red Bins at 416-733-2467 or contact us here.
