Waste Management fall diversion program reminders
Kawartha Lakes is excited to share some of the great diversion programs available to residents this fall through the Waste Management division:
Curbside textile recycling pickup will return for Kawartha Lakes residents in October. Residents will have the opportunity to arrange for textile curbside pickup through Recycling Rewards on their designated date outlined below:
If your regular waste collection day is a Thursday – you can book your textile pickup for Monday October 2.
If your regular waste collection day is a Monday – you can book your textile pickup for Tuesday October 3.
If your regular waste collection day is a Tuesday – you can book your textile pickup for Wednesday October 4.
If your regular waste collection day is a Wednesday – you can book your textile pickup for Thursday October 5.
Residents must call in advance to confirm textile pickup. Please contact Recycling Rewards no later than Friday September 29 by 4pm to put your address on the list for collection.
For more information on how to contact Recycling Rewards, and to learn more about what textile items can be recycling, visit the Diversion Programs page and look for the “Textile Reuse/Recycling” tab.
Winter landfill hours and seasonal road collection
Please note that winter hours go into effect at our landfills starting on October 16, 2023 and seasonal road collection ends on October 27.
Visit the Landfill page for full landfill hours or look at the last page in your 2023 Municipal Calendar to learn more.
Fall curbside leaf and yard waste collection
Fall curbside leaf and yard waste collection returns in November. Residents are asked to please place leaf and yard material in dry paper bags curbside before 7am on their designated dates.
For residents who have waste and recycling collection on Mondays and Wednesdays, curbside collection will take place on Friday November 3 and Friday November 17.
For residents who have waste and recycling collection on Tuesdays and Thursdays, curbside collection will take place on Friday November 10 and Friday November 24.
For best practices and tips on what can or can’t be included in curbside leaf and yard waste, visit the Residential Collection page and look for the “Curbside leaf and yard waste collection” tab.
Woodchip (mulch) and compost giveaway
Woodchip (mulch) and compost is available for pick-up at the Lindsay Ops landfill on Wednesdays only, while supplies last. Residents are instructed to come empty to the landfill as they will be required to weigh in and weigh out to get accurate weights on the woodchips and compost that are going out. If residents are able to load the woodchips/compost themselves, it’s free. If residents require staff to load it for them with the loader, it is $100 per tonne of product.
Please keep in mind that the “woodchips” are made using a tub grinder, so they are not uniform chips; they’re closer to mulch. Residents should feel safe using the compost for their gardens as it is tested prior to it being released to the public.
Please note that, the Lindsay Ops landfill is closed to receiving waste on Wednesdays during summer hours but it is open for woodchip and compost pickup.
Paint Reuse program
Residents can continue to take advantage of the Paint Reuse program until October 15. The Paint Reuse program allows residents to pick up or drop off used paint at the Fenelon and Lindsay Ops landfill’s household hazardous waste depots free of charge while supplies last.
Used paint (latex or oil), and stains will be available to residents in one gallon and one quart cans for free with a five can per resident maximum. When picking up paint through the program, be sure to see an attendant so that inventory can be tracked accordingly. Residents picking up paint at the Lindsay Ops landfill must cross the scales to let the attendant know they are there for paint. Please note that aerosol spray paint cans and/or 20 litre pails of paint will not be included in the Paint Reuse program.
Mattress recycling program
For residents looking to get rid of their old mattresses and box springs, there’s a diversion program for you. Mattresses are recycled at the Lindsay Ops landfill only. They are not accepted at any of the other landfills (Eldon, Fenelon, Laxton, and Sommerville).
If you didn’t want to bring your old mattress to the Lindsay Ops landfill yourself, you can always purchase a $15 mattress tag online using our Curbside Tag form. Tags are also available for purchase at the Municipal Service Centres. Once the mattress tag is purchased, all you have to do is contact the team at Miller Waste Services (1-888-557-4711 or kawarthalakes@millerwaste.ca) and they’ll arrange for pick-up on your regularly scheduled collection day.
Kawartha Lakes started recycling mattresses at the Lindsay Ops landfill in September of 2018. In 2021, the municipality banned mattresses from being disposed of anywhere but the Lindsay Ops landfill. In 2022, a second trailer was added to keep up with the demand. With your help, as of August, the municipality has diverted over 25,000 mattresses from going into the landfills!
Bulky Plastic recycling program
In April, Council made the Bulky Plastic recycling pilot program permanent. The diversion program has been a big success since it was established in 2022. Over 70 tonnes of bulky plastic were diverted from the Lindsay Ops landfill last year, freeing up approximately 1715m3 of landfill space that could hold up to 1200 tonnes of compacted residential waste. Staff estimate that the freed up space equates to an annual capital deferral savings of approximately $180,000 in equivalent landfill space.
Residents are encouraged to continue to take advantage of the program by dropping off bulky plastic recycling at the Lindsay Ops landfill for free. Please keep in mind that the program is only available at the Lindsay Ops landfill, at all of the other landfills bulky plastics will be considered waste and it will be chargeable. Details of the program below:
Items accepted include plastic beverage crates (milk crates), clean plastic drums, totes, empty garbage cans, recycling bins, plastic lawn furniture and clean plastic buckets/pails (metal handles removed).
Items must be greater than 10-litre or 10-kilogram in capacity (2.5 gallon), up to and including the size of Kawartha Lakes’ largest recycling cart (95 gallon).
Did you know about the Recycle Coach mobile app?
The Recycle Coach app provides residents with a personalized waste and recycling schedule right at their fingertips. Residents with the app will receive notifications for collection changes, delays, upcoming special collection days and recycling tips right to their mobile devices. The app also features a handy “What Goes Where” tool to help residents better sort their waste and recycling.
Become a better recycler by downloading the Recycle Coach app on your mobile device today.
