Garbage & Recycling

Kingston residents are encouraged to put their organic waste into green bins to reduce the amount of garbage that goes to landfill. Photo: Wayne Hiebert

Kingston residents are strongly encouraged to sort their household garbage. Materials that can be reused or recycled are collected in large blue, grey and green recycling boxes and bins.

• Blue boxes are for metal cans, foam plastic food and drink containers, glass bottles and jars.
• Grey boxes are for paper products and plastic bags, including newspapers, milk cartons, cereal boxes and other types of packaging.
• Green bins are for food scraps and other organic waste such as meat, bones, used tissues, paper towels, lint, hair, and lawn clippings.

All other items, such as non-recyclable containers, are placed in large plastic bags.

Households are limited to one bag of garbage per week only. Each additional bag must have a tag. Bag tags may be purchased at 22 different locations throughout the city, as well as online through the city website.

The city collects non-recyclable garbage and green bins once a week. Blue and grey boxes are collected on alternate weeks. Note that the schedule changes on weeks with public holidays. You can find your garbage collection day and other information on waste disposal on the City of Kingston website, which also has information on how to obtain green and blue bins.

For details, see For More Information links below.

Brush & Leaves

The city collects leaves and brush from residential homes and apartments once a year in the fall. Brush is collected in October and must be neatly stacked at the curb. Leaves are collected in large paper bags or rigid containers such as a garbage can and also left at the curb. Leaf collection takes place in November and early December. For the pick-up schedule in your area, check the calendar on the City of Kingston website (see For More Information links below).

Hazardous Waste & Electronic Waste or e-Waste

Certain substances such as batteries, oil, pesticides, household cleaners, solvents, old paint cans and oil cans are considered potentially harmful. Medical items such as drugs (pharmaceuticals) and needles and syringes (sharps) are also classified as hazardous. Residents can dispose of these items at a special Household Hazardous Waste facility run by the city. There is no charge to use the facility.

The facility is open from April through November every

• Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Saturday, from 8 a.m.to 4 p.m.

The facility is closed the rest of the year.

Electronics, such as televisions, computers, printers, laptops, monitors and cellphones, are potentially hazardous waste and can be recycled. There are a number of businesses that accept electronic waste for recycling.

Tires are also considered potentially hazardous waste and should be recycled.

For more details on what is considered hazardous and electronic waste and how to handle it, including local drop-off locations for different types of items, see the For More Information links below.

Large Articles

The city does not collect large and bulky items such as old furniture and appliances.

Residents can pay to dispose of them at local waste management businesses or seek out alternative options, such as donation to a nonprofit group.

For details, see the For More Information links below.