Sorting & Disposal Guide
Sorting keeps useful materials out of the landfill, reduces contamination in recycling and helps the municipality manage costs and services.
You can place the following materials in your garbage bags for curbside collection:
- All Styrofoam products
- Disposable cups, lids, straws, chip bags, candy wrappers and foil
- Used saran wrap, aluminum foil and snack packaging
- Disposable diapers, masks, feminine hygiene products and wipes
- Toothpaste tubes, toothbrushes, hair brushes, lint brushes
- Kleenex and tissues
- Clothing, textiles, gift wrap, ribbons, bows, broken jewelry, photographs
- Crayons, pens, pencils, markers, erasers
- Broken glass and sharp objects (securely boxed and labeled)
- Light bulbs, small household appliances, broken toys
- Kitty litter and pet waste
- Cold ashes (double-bagged - never place in your green cart)
Note: Empty, dry paint containers and leftover paint can be taken to an Enviro-Depot™. Find your nearest Enviro-Depot™.
Learn more about Paint Recycling in Nova Scotia.
Do NOT place the following materials in your garbage bags:
- Food waste or soiled paper (place in your green cart)
- Recyclables such as paper, cardboard, containers or plastics (place in blue bags)
- Needles, syringes, lancets, auto-injectors or infusion sets
- Residential hazardous waste materials
- Hot ashes
- Bleach or other chemicals (to deter animals)
- Large or bulky items (check for special collection options)
In CBRM, recyclable materials are sorted into two separate blue bags for curbside collection. Only transparent blue bags are accepted. Blue bags must be clearly visible at the curb on your collection day.
You can place the following clean and empty items in Blue Bag #1 for Containers and Plastics:
- Plastic containers, bottles, jars and packaging
- Aluminum, tin and steel cans
- Aluminum pie plates and trays
- Glass bottles and jars
- Juice, milk, beer, wine, and liquor bottles or cartons*
- Plastic bags (bread, grocery, shopping)
- Empty cleaning and laundry detergent bottles (remove spray nozzles)
- Yogurt, pudding, and similar plastic tubs
*These items can also be returned to a local Enviro-Depot™ for refund. Find your nearest Enviro-Depot™.
Preparation Tips for Blue Bag #1:
- All containers must be clean, empty and free of food residue.
- Labels do not need to be removed.
- Bags should weigh no more than 12 kg (25 lbs).
You can place clean, dry paper and cardboard items in Blue Bag #2 for Paper Products:
- Newspapers, magazines, flyers and catalogues
- Office paper, envelopes and file folders
- Boxboard (cereal, tissue and shoe boxes)
- Paper egg cartons and paper bags
- Pizza boxes (no food residue)**
- Books (soft cover only; remove hard covers)***
- Paper towel and toilet paper cores
- Flattened corrugated cardboard (bundle and tie - max 2 ft x 3 ft x 8 in)
**Soiled pizza boxes can go in your green cart.
***Hard covers must go in the regular garbage.
Preparation Tips for Blue Bag #2:
- Paper must be clean, dry and free of food residue.
- Staples can stay, but remove paper clips.
- Large cardboard should be flattened and tied in manageable bundles.
Do NOT include the following in either blue bag:
- Garbage or food waste
- Needles, syringes or medical sharps
- Residential hazardous waste
- Coffee cups or food-contaminated items
You can place the following materials in your green cart for curbside collection:
- Food waste and table scraps
- Meat, fish, shellfish, poultry, eggs, bones and table scraps
- Nuts and nut shells
- Mayonnaise, salad dressings, sauces, jams, syrups and peanut butter
- All dairy products
- Vegetables, fruit, bread and baked goods*
- Grains, pasta and rice*
- Lard and fats
- Coffee grounds, filters, tea leaves and tea bags*
- Soiled or wet paper products from food residues and beverages
- Paper towels, napkins
- Paper plates and cups*
- Baking soda and baking powder boxes*
- Sugar and flour bags*
- Other material
- Dryer lint
- Pet hair
- Popsicle sticks
*These items can also be placed in a backyard composter.
Do NOT place these materials in your green cart:
- Needles, lancets, syringes or auto injectors
- Plastic materials or plastic bags
- Garbage or blue bags
- Metal, tin, glass or styrofoam
- Diapers or pet waste (including kitty litter)
- Coffee cups or milk containers
- Sod, rocks, soil or ashes
- Logs or tree trunks
- Residential hazardous waste materials
You can manage leaf and yard waste in several ways:
- Place small amounts in your green cart with other organic waste.
- Drop off larger amounts at one of the three seasonal leaf and yard waste sites (mid-May to mid-November).
- Drop off leaf and yard waste year-round at the Waste Management Facility.
- Compost at home through backyard composting, grass cycling or leaf cycling. Learn more about Leaf and Yard Waste Cycling Tips.
Only small amounts of leaf and yard waste should go in your green cart for curbside collection, including:
- Grass clippings
- Leaves from trees and plants
- Garden and plant waste
- Small branches and twigs (less than 1 inch in diameter)
- Brush and hedge clippings
Do NOT place these yard wastes in your green cart:
- Tree branches or limbs larger than 1 inch
- Tree stumps or logs
- Sods*, soil, sand, rocks or bricks
- Treated or painted wood
*Sods are not accepted at seasonal drop-off sites and must be dropped off at the Waste Management Facility.
If your green cart is full or materials are too large, take them to the Waste Management Facility (year-round) or one of the seasonal leaf and yard drop-off sites. See Contact & Facility Information.
Batteries, chemicals and other hazardous waste must not be placed in the garbage, green cart or blue bags. These items are hazardous and pose a serious risk during the collection, processing, or storage of waste materials at our facilities.
Examples of hazardous materials that must NOT be placed in the garbage, green cart or blue bags:
- Batteries (including lithium-ion, alkaline, and button cell)
- Flammable liquids (like gasoline or solvents)
- Paint and paint thinners
- Cleaning products and pesticides
- Mercury-containing items (such as thermometers or light bulbs)
These materials can be recycled through the Waste Management Programs in Nova Scotia.
Keep yourself and others safe by disposing of needles, syringes, lancets, auto-injectors and infusion devices properly.
To safely dispose of sharps:
- Pick up a free Safe Sharps container at your local community pharmacy.
- Place used sharps directly into the container. Never remove, bend, or recap needles used by someone else.
- When the container is almost full, seal the lid securely.
- Return the sealed container to your pharmacy for safe disposal.
- Request a new container if needed.
Important safety notes:
- Never place used sharps in the garbage, blue bags, or green carts.
- Do not put sharps in plastic bottles, jugs or flush them down the toilet.
- Do not put anything other than sharps info a sharps container.
- If you are accidentally pricked by a used needle, seek immediate medical attention. Needle stick injuries can cause infections or diseases.
The Safe Sharps Program is for residential use and is funded by Nova Scotia’s pharmacies, sharps manufacturers and medication distributors. Learn more about the Medication & Sharps Disposal Program.
If your organization generates used sharps, please contact a professional association or licensed waste service provider for disposal options.