Recycling and Garbage Guide

Nanaimo takes a very progressive approach toward its garbage and recycling pickup, and all residents are expected to know the guidelines. The city collects three different containers of waste from residental units:

  1. Recycle bins (papers, plastics)
  2. Green bin (all compostable materials: bones, meats, vegetables)
  3. Garbage cans (non-recyclable, non-organic materials)
    (More info below, about these 3 containers)

There are lots of items and materials that are not picked up by the city:

  • Glass - Refundable bottles (glass beverage containers) can be returned to a depot or to a supermarket. Jars (from sauces, nut butters, pickles) and light bulbs must be taken to a depot.
  • Metal - Tins from soup and canned foods can be cleaned and placed in the roadside recycling bins. All other metals must be taken to a recycling depot or scrapyard.
  • Batteries, paint, appliances, electronics, light bulbs - these and other suspect materials must be disposed of as described here.

Picked up at roadside:

Recycling containers1. Recycle bins

Most paper and plastic items can be put into a recycling container and left at the side of the road on the morning of pickup day. Everything should be rinsed clean, and reasonably dry.

garbage can2. Green bin

In order to reduce our dependence on the "landfill", a roadside compost pickup program was implemented in 2011, and it has been extremely successful. You can place all kinds of organic materials (including bones and paper) into a plastic green bin which is placed at the roadside like a garbage can. The waste is turned into a rich soil at a facility near Duke Point.

Green Bin Program guide

Nanaimo green bin program3. Garbage cans

The city will remove one "can" of miscellaneous waste every two weeks. This will usually include your bathroom waste (tissues, diapers, pads) and soiled meat packaging from the kitchen. Many families recycle so effectively that they do not even produce a full can for the bi-weekly pickup.

No pickup service (Visit a depot)

Refundable empties4. Refundable containers

Includes nearly all pop/beer/juice/water/wine/spirits containers. These can be returned to any supermarket or depot, or simply placed by the roadside in a clean plastic bag, to be picked up by someone who collects these "empties" for an income. These containers cannot be placed in the garbage.

Non-Refundable glass jars and bottles5. Glass jars & bottles

Glass bottles are only refundable when they were beverage containers. Jars and bottles that came with sauces, condiments, pickled items, peanut butter, etc., must be taken to a recycling depot. These containers cannot be placed in the garbage.

6. Everything else: metal, batteries, lightbulbs...

You should have one more bin for collecting items like these (see below). This container must be brought to the depot to be sorted, but fortunately, this only needs to be done about once per year.

  • All metal objects
    • The metal strip of "teeth" from a foil wrap dispenser
    • Coat hangers, nails, metal fastenings, old keys, etc.
  • Batteries, light bulbs
  • Paint, appliances, electronics, appliances

Conversations on our forums about recycling in Nanaimo:

Junk Removal

If you want to hire someone to remove your junk or waste, try the Got Junk? people.

If you have comments or information to share about recycling in the RDN or in Nanaimo, please contact us, or register for our forums.