During Waste Reduction Week Oct. 17 to 23, the Town of Newmarket is offering blue boxes, green bins and kitchen catchers at sale prices, and hosting an e-waste event, as part of its initiative to encourage residents to reduce, reuse and recycle and adopt more environmentally conscious choices.
Limited to two per household, the recycling bins are available at: $8.25 blue box; $16.50 green bin; $3 kitchen catcher.
To purchase the bins, which will be delivered by GFL (Green for Life) within one to two weeks:
- Emailing [email protected] with your order. Orders must include your name, address and phone number. Town staff will call to obtain your credit card payment information. Do not include credit card information in the email.
- Calling 905-895-5193, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The town is hosting a drive-thru electronics and battery recycling event on Saturday, Oct. 22 at the Robert N. Shelton Operations Centre (1275 Maple Hill Court).
Accepted items include:
- Computers
- Display devices
- Video game devices
- Headphones
- Cameras, including security cameras
- Drones with audio or visual recording equipment
- Musical instruments
- Parts of information technology, telecommunications, and audio-visual equipment sold separately, such as hard drives
- Printers (desktop and floor standing)
- Printer cartridges
- Telephones, including cellular phones
- Speakers
- Video Recorders
- Handheld point-of-sale terminals or devices
- Peripherals and cables used to support the function of information technology, telecommunications and audio-visual equipment, including charging equipment
- Used household batteries.
Residents can also participate by following the steps below to reduce waste:
- Do not place plastic bags, Styrofoam and furnace filters in recycling bins.
- Newspaper, cardboard, plastic bottles, glass, metal cans, and boxboard should all be recycled in the blue box. Before putting cans and jars in the blue box, rinse them and remove lids from the jars.
- Plastic bags / film, plastic overwrap, polystyrene, plastic toys, batteries, medical waste, coffee pods and take-out cups do not belong in the blue box.
- Use compostable bags for kitchen catchers and green bins, and avoid mixing garbage with organic waste (e.g. plastic wrap on a cucumber).
- Use paper bags for your yard waste or open-top garbage cans with open handles. Yard waste must be under 50 lbs and marked ‘yard waste.’ Acceptable Yard waste includes: weeds, plant trimmings, pumpkins and small branches (please keep grass clippings and dirt out of the bag).
- Consider donating reusable items such as clothing or toys to charitable, non-profit organizations or community groups rather than throwing them away.
“Thank you, Newmarket, for continuing to demonstrate your strong commitment to waste reduction. Our collective efforts have helped York Region achieve a 92 per cent diversion rate from landfill,” said Mayor John Taylor in a news release. “If each of us continues to make some very simple changes like using a reusable coffee cup and water bottle we can have an even greater impact in reducing waste in our community and creating a more sustainable environment for future generations.”
For more information and to learn more about the Town of Newmarket’s other environmental initiatives, click here.
