Garbage

Items that cannot be reused, recycled or composted are considered garbage. Contact your local municipality for your pick up schedule and any curbside restrictions. Garbage can be dropped off at York Region’s Community Environmental Centres and the Waste Transfer Station in Georgina for a fee.

Where does the garbage go?

After the garbage is collected it is sent to energy from waste facilities, where the garbage is converted into energy.

One such facility is the Durham York Energy Centre, recently built in partnership with the Regional Municipality of Durham. This facility processes up to 140,000 tonnes of garbage per year. The heat generated by the waste combustion is used to generate electricity and recyclable metals are recovered from the ash.

Oversized items that are too large to process such as large pieces of furniture, broken exercise equipment or mattresses are sent to landfill.

Waste Reduction Tips

Use reusable bags, mugs and bottles
Use a weekly meal plan and shopping list to reduce food waste
Use a backyard composter to create your own garden compost
Avoid buying disposable items or items with single use packaging
Borrow or buy used items instead of buying new
Donate unwanted clothing, sheets and towels. Don’t throw them away
Give gifts of experiences rather than material items
Use rechargeable batteries
Repair or mend items instead of tossing and buying new