How to sort your waste

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Don’t know where things go? 

With all these bins to choose from, it isn’t always easy to know what goes where. We’ve broken it down for you here.

You can also refer to Ça va où where you all you need to do is type the item and, just like magic, you’ll be told which bin it goes in!

Download the Ça va ou? application.

Accepted waste Refused waste
  • Normal household discards
  • All household items (sofas, fridges, stoves, etc.)
  • Household hazardous waste
  • Recyclables
  • Construction materials
  • Permanent household fixtures (sinks, toilets, etc.)

Quebec has rolled out a major reform of its selective collection, designed to simplify the process for citizens and improve recycling across the province.

Under the new guidelines, sorting is easier than ever. Residents only need to remember three categories: containers, packaging, and printed paper. That’s it.

What goes in the bin?

  • Containers
    • Flexible or rigid, containers can be made of paper, cardboard, glass, plastic or metal. How to spot them: recyclable containers usually have a cap or lid.
      • Ex: shampoo bottles, oil bottles, laundry soap container, sour cream container, etc.
  • Packaging
    • Like containers, packaging items are made of paper, cardboard, plastic, glass or metal.
    • How to spot them: they’re used to easily transport a product.
      • Ex: egg carton, fruit basket, canned food, paper bag, etc.
  • Printed paper
    • These are papers or other fibres with texts, patterns or images.
      • Ex: newspapers, magazines, lined or squared paper sheets, envelopes, etc.

For more information on curbside recycling in Quebec, visit Bin Impact.

Accepted wasteProhibited waste

Kitchen waste

  • Fruits and vegetables
  • Eggshells
  • Fish and seafood
  • Meat and poultry (including bones)
  • Milk products
  • Bread, pasta and cereal products
  • Nuts and nutshells
  • Coffee and tea bags
  • Condiments
  • Vegetable or animal oils and greases
  • Sauces and dressings
  • Spices

Green waste

  • Garden residues (e.g. flowers, dead plants, grass, fruits, weeds, leaves
  • Weeds, thatch, mulch
  • Twigs and small branches from shrubs or hedges (diameter less than 5 cm, length less than 1 m)

Other waste

  • Non-waxed paper plates
  • Paper towels
  • Tissues
  • Animal food
  • Condiments
  • Soiled newspaper
  • Non-plasticized food packaging (e.g. pizza boxes, flour bags)
  • Hair, fur and feathers
  • Dust

Kitchen waste

  • Plastic bags (even if compostable)
  • Waxed paper
  • Plasticized wrappings
  • Styrofoam

Green waste

  • Big tree branches
  • Dead animals
  • Wood
  • Christmas trees

Other waste

  • Textiles
  • Dryer lint
  • Ceramic
  • Recyclable materials
  • Hazardous household waste
  • Soiled pet litter
  • Diapers and sanitary products
  • Cotton swabs
  • Dental floss

Solutions to the most frequent compost problems

Insects/flies

  • Wrap your meat, chicken and fish leftovers in newspapers or a paper bag before putting them into the bin.
  • Close the bag tightly after each use.
  • Sprinkle some salt in the bin or spray with vinegar, if needed.

Odours

  • Use paper bags or line the bottom of your brown bin and your kitchen bin with newspaper.
  • Rinse the bin with water and mild detergent or vinegar after each use.
  • Sprinkle a bit of baking soda in the brown bin and the kitchen bin.
  • Add a layer of green waste on top of food waste.
  • Store your bin in a shady place out of the sun.
  • Put your bin out for every collection, even if it contains only a small amount of waste.
  • Keep the cover of the kitchen bin and of the wheeled brown bin well closed at all times.
  • Place meat & bone scraps in bags/newspaper in the freezer until pickup day.

Animals

  • Apply a menthol cream around the cover.
  • Secure your bin with the latch.

Frost

  • In winter, to prevent the waste from sticking, line the bottom of your brown bin with newspapers or a piece of cardboard.
  • Avoid putting liquids in the wheeled bin.