The Recycling Council of BC has added a fantastic tool to their homepage which tells you exactly where and how to recycle just about every item. Check it out! http://www.rcbc.bc.ca
Metro Vancouver also has an excellent page to help you find places that will take everything from baby clothing to large appliances. http://www.metrovancouver.org/MetroVancouverRecycles/Pages/default.aspx
By far the most useful business for recycling non-blue-bin items is Pacific Mobile Depot who runs pickup locations in North Vancouver, Commercial Drive and Main Street on the 3rd Saturday of every month. They will take just about anything: hard and soft plastics, batteries, and styrofoam. See their website for a full list of accepted items.
I continue to maintain this list because I am always finding new items that are not captured in any of the above.
CDs and DVDs
Free Geek Vancouver
1820 Pandora Street
Vancouver, BC
604-879-GEEK (4335)
OPEN – Tues. ~ Sat.
11:00am – 6:00pm
CLOSED – Sun. Mon.
http://freegeekvancouver.org/en/computer_recycling
STYROFOAM
*Regardless of whether or not it has recycling number
Packaging Styrofoam:
Mansonville Plastics (Surrey)
604-534-8626
*must call first – free drop-off
Genesis Recycling
(604) 607-1117
26049 30A Avenue, Aldergrove
*approx. $3 per garbage bag
Gibsons Recycling Depot
1018 Venture way, Gibsons B.C
Styrofoam packaging chips:
Styrofoam packing chips/peanuts are taken for reuse at UPS store locations. Check out their website for locations: http://www.theupsstore.ca/locations
Food Packaging Styrofoam:
Polystyrene (PS) food containers can be difficult to recycle. PS is not easily recyclable because of its light weight and low scrap value. The properties that make it an excellent packaging material – its weight, low cost, durability and strength – make it hard to recycle. The cost of operating trucks usually makes it cost prohibitive to transport PS to a recycling plant. Food containers are generally contaminated so require cleaning before they can be processed for recycling, which also makes it economically infeasible.
Pacific Mobile Depots, located on Vancouver Island, has set up a once monthly depot in North Vancouver. They take quite a bit of stuff. Please note that they also take the chips and packing material.
PLASTIC CONTAINERS 3 & 6
Most blue bins only accept plastics #1, 2, 4 and 5. Plastics 3 & 6 can be recycled with the following companies.
Pacific Mobile Depots
Monthly pickup in North Vancouver and Commercial Drive, 3rd Saturday from 9am – 12pm
333 Chesterfield Avenue, North Vancouver
www.pacificmobiledepots.com
Varsek Trading Group Inc.
6260 Mara Crescent, Richmond
604.277.6255
Hours: M-F 7:00am-5:00pm
Varsek Trading is a broker for household and industrial quantities of plastics #1-7. Call first.
West Coast Plastics
Richmond
604.247.1664
Hours: M-F 8:00am-4:00pm
West Coast only accepts #6 plastics. Please call with material details for drop off location.
PLASTICS WITHOUT A NUMBER:
Unfortunately, the companies we know of on the Lower Mainland which accept plastics without the code only accept large amounts (ie/tons) of the material from businesses. Pacific Mobile Depots accepts a variety of plastics. These materials are also listed on their website: http://www.pacificmobiledepots.com/services.php
MILK CONTAINERS
Encorp now accepts milk containers at several of their depots. Click here for a list of locations.
FOIL COMPOSITE COFFEE BAGS:
These are not accepted anywhere on the Lower Mainland. Again, Pacific Mobile Depots is the only company we know of which accepts it (foil bags in general).
SOFT STRETCHY PLASTICS:
All Wastech Transfer Stations (www.wastech.ca) accept soft plastic for recycling. I have listed their locations here. Please note that the Vancouver Transfer Station is city-run and not a “Wastech” site. They do not accept soft plastics there:
Surrey Transfer Station
(604) 513-2409
9770 – 192nd Street, Surrey
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-5pm / Sat & Sun 8am-6-pm
North Vancouver Transfer Station
(604) 929-4725
30 Riverside Drive
(3 blocks south of the Dollarton Highway, just east of the Ironworkers’ Memorial Bridge)
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-9pm / Sat & Sun 8am-6pm
Coquitlam Transfer Station
(604) 521-1715
1200 United Boulevard, Coquitlam
Hours: Mon-Fri 6:30am-5pm / Sat & Sun 8am-6pm
OTHER METALS:
The Vancouver Transfer Station has a recycling area for ferrous and non-ferrous metals, as well as a host of other materials such as appliances and household recyclables. Metals can be brought to their recycling area for free drop-off:
South Vancouver Transfer Station
(604) 326-4600
377 West Kent Avenue North
(2 blocks south of Marine Drive between Cambie & Main)
Hours: 7 days a week, 7am to 7pm
WAX PAPER:
Wax paper cannot be recycled. However, according to one reader it is compostable in your home compost – thanks Melanie!! Rinse off oily food first. You have to be sure that it is waxed paper, not paper with a plastic coating. Paper cartons that used to be waxed, are now often coated with plastic. Waxed paper in the compost degrades at about the same rate as leaves.
EMPTY AEROSOL CANS:
Apparently Encorp takes Aerosol cans. Thanks to Karen for this.
PARTICLE BOARD:
Unlike wood, particle board is not recyclable as it contains a number of different materials, including glue. It is a garbage item and can be taken to the Vancouver South Transfer Station (above) as waste. They charge $65 per ton with a minimum charge of $6.
DRYWALL:
Drywall (gypsum) is banned from the landfill and must be taken to a special depot for recycling:
New West Gypsum Recycling
(604) 520-6647
38 Vulcan Street, New Westminster
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-7pm / Sat & Sun 8am-5pm
Ecowaste Industries
(604) 276-9511
15111 Williams Road, Richmond
Hours: Mon-Fri 7am-6pm / Sat & Sun 8am-6pm
South Vancouver Transfer Station
Accepts up to 1/2 sheet clean drywall per visit
(604) 326-4600
377 West Kent Avenue North
(2 blocks south of Marine Drive between Cambie & Main)
Hours: 7 days a week, 7am to 7pm
ASPHALT SHINGLES:
I received the following email regarding asphalt shingles.
BATTERIES:
Alkaline:
Unfortunately, there is no provincial program in place for the recycling of alkaline batteries. They are not considered a hazardous waste due to the fact that mercury has been eliminated from their manufacturing. Accordingly, they can be disposed of as a regular garbage item. However, acid from alkaline batteries can create issues in landfills, as it can erode protective liners, creating opportunities for leakage. Accordingly, if you decide to dispose of them, please only place a handful of batteries out with each garbage container or bag.
Best Buy, Future Shop and Ikea accept alkaline batteries for recycling at their retail stores. No purchase is necessary. Please note that Best Buy and Future Shop also accept rechargeable batteries.
There are some private companies in Vancouver accepting alkaline batteries for recycling.
Society Promoting Environmental Conservation
2150 Maple Street
Vancouver, BC
(604)736-7732
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-4pm
*Free to drop-off batteries.
Vancouver Battery
2192 W. Broadway (Yew & W. Broadway)
Vancouver, BC
(604) 737-8463
Hours: Mon-Fri 10am-6:30pm / Sat 10am-2pm
*small fee for alkaline batteries
Rechargeable Batteries:
Log onto www.rbrc.org for locations to drop off rechargeable batteries.
CELL PHONES:
There is an excellent program in place for recycling old cell phones. The program benefits local food banks. You can log onto their website to find the closest location to your house: www.think-food.com.
ELECTRONICS:
There are a number of places in Vancouver that will take old electronics. Most of them want computer equipment but some may take old TVs and VCRs. I suggest calling ahead to double check what they will take.
A province-wide end-of-life electronics recycling program is available to BC consumers and businesses. You can drop off regulated products at designated collection sites free of charge, and be assured they will be recycled responsibly. The program essentially covers computers, computer peripherals and televisions. For more information on the program and to find the depot closest to you, log onto http://www.encorp.ca/electronics/locations. For your convenience, I have listed the three depots currently accepting this material in Vancouver:
Regional Recycling
(604) 689-4722
960 Evans Avenue, Vancouver
(2 block north of Terminal, opposite Home Depot)
Hours: Mon-Sat 8am-6pm / Sun 9am-5pm
Salvation Army
(604) 874-4721
261 East 12th Avenue, Vancouver
Hours: Mon-Sat 9:30-5:30 **call first
Vancouver Central Return-It Depot
(604) 434-0707
2639 Kingsway Avenue, Vancouver
Hours: Mon-Sat 9am-6pm/Sun 10am-5pm
Electronic Recycling Association
#38 East 69th Avenue, Vancouver
(604) 215-4483
Hours: 9am – 5pm, Monday – Friday
Drop offs are only accepted during business hours.
To make it convenient for everyone to donate their laptops and computers, the following depots accept computers and electronics on behalf of the ERA:
- HBC – ZELLERS – Accepts computers and laptops for donation ONLY. Do not bring TVs or Appliances to these locations.
- Landsdowne Shopping Centre, 8311 Landsdowne Road, Richmond
- Scottsdale Mall, 7155 120th Street, Delta
- Metropolis Center, 4545 Central Boulevard, Burnaby
Free Geek Vancouver also takes old computers free of charge and can recycle CDs and DVDs.
1820 Pandora Street
Vancouver, BC
V5L 1M5
604-879-GEEK (4335)
Computer Junkies accepts old computer equipment. They may even give you cash for stuff in working condition.
201 – 1114 West Broadway
Vancouver, BC
604-GET-HELP (604-438-4357)
OTHER ELECTRONICS:
Other electronic equipment is not covered under the provincial recycling program. Accordingly, they can be disposed of as waste. We do know of a company which accepts a variety of electronics for recycling. In most cases, it is free to drop off materials at their various sites. They are called Techno Trash Recycling: www.technotrashrecycling.com (604) 893-8901. You must call before dropping off materials.
USED FURNITURE:
Used furniture (in decent condition) can be donated to the HomeStart Foundation. http://www.homestart.ca. They may even come pick it up depending on your time and location.
Old mattresses can be taken to the very friendly guys at:
Mattress Recycling Environmental Solutions
http://www.mattressrecycling.ca/
(604) 551 9409
Call them directly for times and location.
They can also recycle the different components of old couches (wood, foam and cotton) if you are willing to do the demolition yourself. I have done it and it’s actually quite satisfying.
Further questions can be directed to:
Recycling Council of British Columbia
Tel: (604) 683-6009
www.rcbc.ca
MEDICINES, VITAMINS & OINTMENTS:
Most unused stuff that comes out of your medicine cabinet should never be thrown in the garbage or washed down the sink. Please take these items to your pharmacy. If in doubt, don’t throw it out.
PAINT AND OTHER CHEMICALS
Paints, solvents and other hazardous chemicals are covered under the Product Care program, a province-wide recycling program for household hazardous wastes including household paint, flammable liquids and aerosols, domestic pesticides, and gasoline. Because the program is in place, these items are banned from the landfill. The Vancouver location for disposing of paint and flammable liquids is:
East Van Bottle Depot
2605 Kaslo Street, Vancouver
604.255.4243
Hours: M-Su 9:00am-6:00pm
All products must be in the original container (except for solvents such as paint thinner), with the original label and sealed. Up to 10 containers can be dropped off per visit, with a maximum volume per container of 5 gallons for paint and 10 L for solvents. Solvents must be contained within metal containers (empty paint cans), well sealed and labelled.
I am a man on a mission to create a world that I will be proud to pass on to my son. I use every tool at my disposal toward this task: words, images, technology, education, relationships. We must act now because the need is great! 
Good page… but nothing on where to recycle mercury. I have an old thermostat with a mercury switch in it, and I’m having trouble finding a place to accept the switch for recycling the Hg.
I would suggest emailing the Recycling Council of BC – they will definitely know.
Sweet, this is a great list, now I can get rid of CDs without just tossing them.
ash!!!!
how the hell r ya?! it sure has been a long time, hope all is well with you. i was just lookin for the transfer stations hours of operation and i saw your name and i thought could it be?? and sure enough. wierd huh?? anyways drop me a line when u can and we’ll get together.
trevor
This is awesome!! thank you so much
The address for Paint and other chemicals should be 2605 Kaslo (not 2305). It’s just South of Broadway not North of it.
Fixed. Thanks.
Another one that accepts computers and monitors
http://computerjunkies.ca/
Waxed paper is compostable in your home compost. Rinse off oily food first.
You have to be sure that it is waxed paper, not paper with a plastic coating. Paper cartons that used to be waxed, are now often coated with plastic.
Waxed paper in the compost degrades at about the same rate as leaves.
Do you know where I can drop off printer cartridges for the THink Food program in Vancouver. Their site only has a phone number (no locations) which is diverted to an answering machine. I’m waiting to hear back from them, but an online list would be helpful. There must be many places in Vancouver that are part of this program.
What about the following materials:
- polyethylene plastic
- plastic tarp’s
- toilets
Thanks for the info. This site is a great resource
I have a paint can that is leaking oil from the bottom. I have put it in a couple of bags. I am not sure if any of the recycling paint places will take it. Any ideas?
Thanks for your web site.
laura
I think this is a great resource and should be implemented throughout many regions. This would help increase recycling efforts all across the board.
Great information, thanks. I see that aerosol cans are a problem, they can easily be drained, punctured and rinsed….
Does anyone know where I can recycle empty propane canisters?
Or a portable gas barbecue unit (small, cast metal)
Propane canisters can be taken to the same depots that you take old paint. Search the Recycling Council’s home page for locations. http://rcbc.bc.ca/
I called a Return It (Encorp Pacific Canada) location and they said that they recycle empty aerosol cans. http://www.encorp.ca/cfm/index.cfm?