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An owl drinking coffee? We know that you know that doesn’t make sense. Yet, there’s still opportunity to recycle more and avoid plastic and other packaging in our local environment, or the landfill. Whether it’s an empty bottle of conditioner (rare) or a discarded coffee cup (common), there are options for all of us to recycle right and keep packaging and paper out of our animal neighbour’s habitats and keep our environment healthy.

Use our Waste Wizard to search for materials accepted in our program and how to sort them right:

RECYCLE BC ACCEPTED MATERIALS

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See our full list of accepted materials

Photo of a bear with a blonde wig and text reads conditioner bottles belong in your bin not in nature

Hard plastic containers, like conditioner bottles, can end up in nature from a variety of sources. The best way to prevent this is by recycling hard plastics in your blue bins at home. Find a full list of examples on our What Can I Recycle page or use the Waste Wizard search tool above.

Seagull holding plastic bag in its mouth with text reading seagulls have enough to snack on plastic bags belong at the depot not in nature

Plastic bags are quite versatile. They can be re-used for shopping, re-purposed as quick storage solutions or garbage bags at home, and when those options don’t work, they’re easily recycled at Recycle BC depots. Let’s work together to keep these off the menu for our feathered friends and marine life. Find a depot near you with our map.

Owl standing with coffee cup text reads owls do not need help staying awake coffee cups belong in your bin not in nature

Raise your hand if you’ve ever felt like the owl in this photo (🙋‍♂️🙋‍♀️). We’ve all bought a coffee (or two) to-go and been handed a paper cup, but did you know it can be recycled with containers in the blue bin? That’s right, paper cups and hard plastic containers are collected in the same bin. You can do this owl and our bear friends a favour by recycling right.

Chipmunk in plastic clam shell container text reads take out containers belong in your bin not in nature

Over the past couple of years, we’re likely more familiar with restaurant take-out, and picnic weather is fast approaching in BC. We can do our part for the environment by recycling right and making sure we put our plastic take-out containers in our blue bins at home or clean up after any outdoor dining dates. Download our app to find depots near you when you’re on-the-go, as well as search for accepted materials.

Photshopped image of cougar next to blue bin

Despite high standards for recycling markets, most of the plastic, paper, glass, and metal we collect is recycled due to our collective effort to reduce contamination – we couldn’t do it without you! In 2020, 90% of collected material was managed by recycling, 4% was managed by recovery and produced into engineered fuel, and the remaining material – contamination that isn’t accepted in the recycling –  was managed by disposal. Learn more about our recycling process.

Photo shopped image of robin on pile of plastic bags

While we’re still big fans of reusable bags, plastic bags can be recycled! They are collected at depots and London Drugs stores to keep them from mixing with other materials in curbside collection so they meet recycling remanufacturers’ specifications to be processed into pellets for use in new products or packaging. Give your bags a second life and take them to a depot.

Photo shopped image of beaver next to blue bin

When you recycle your packaging and paper, you’re making a big difference for BC’s environment by allowing us to manage and recycle more material responsibly. So, make sure you’re recycling all you can, and recycling right! We want to ensure together we keeping material out of the landfill and the environment. If you’re not sure if it’s accepted, check our material list.

You, as a BC resident, are so important to the success of our program! Thank you for doing all you can to recycle your packaging and paper, and to do it right. It has a big impact on our environment and the wildlife that call BC home!