Municipal Services

Garbage & Recycling


2024 Garbage and Recycling Schedule

Waste Management in Callander

Household Waste
Collected weekly by GFL (Green For Life) for processing at the Merrick Landfill Site in North Bay.

Residential urban: Tuesday commencing at 7:00 am

Residential rural: Friday commencing at 7:00 am

View the Urban Recycling and Garbage Area Map to determine which area you fall into.

Contractor: GFL - Green For Life
Phone: (705) 472-1768

Collection Requirements: All waste set out for collection must be in a covered container and must be bagged so as to prevent loose waste. Waste and recycling must be set out for collection no earlier than 7:00 pm the day before collection and removed by 9:00 am on the day following collection. Property owners will be responsible for cleaning up any spilled materials and/or waste promptly.

Yard waste cannot be left at the curb, and must be taken to the Landfill. We encourage you to "Leave the Leaves", as plant litter in your garden can increase biodiversity and boost pollinator communities that will support your garden! A layer of leaves in the garden bed also provides added insulation for perennial plants. Composting your leaf litter in the spring after the pollinators have emerged is the best way to help the critters in your environment. Learn more about the benefits of leaving the leaves here.

Collection limits: Collection of waste will be restricted to 3 containers per week for residential and 6 containers per week for commercial.

Bag Tag Program: Residents will have the option to purchase garbage bag tags when additional collection is required. Garbage bag tags will be available at the Municipal Office at a cost of $3.00 per tag.

Garbage Bag Tags, Open-Air Buring Permits (aka Fire Permit), and Animal Tags can be purchased online directly through our website.

Online purchases can be made using Visa, Mastercard, or Interac Online banking.

As an alternative to purchasing online, please note that services can also be purchased directly at the Municipal Office.

If you need any assistance, you can contact us at 705-752-1410 x221.

 

Purchase Garbage Bag Tags

 

Please see the following link for answers to What Goes Where.

Recyclables

Curb-side collection is every two weeks for processing by the City of North Bay. The Municipality provides households with one free blue box. Additional blue boxes can be purchased at a fee of $10.00 + HST at the Main Office (280 Main Street North).

Put recyclable materials in the blue boxes, for bi-weekly, curbside collection. Please sort and rinse out your recyclables before putting them at the curb.

Recyclables placed in plastic bags, cardboard boxes, recycling totes, carts with wheels, or any container or tote that isn’t a standard Blue Box design will not be picked up. Recyclables must be placed in a standard Blue Box, which has a specialized lip that attaches to the recycling truck. These standard boxes can be purchased for $10.00 + HST each at the Municipal Main Office at 280 Main Street North.

  Accepted Recyclables

NOT Accepted Recyclables

 

Plastics All plastic food and beverage containers (#1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7). This includes plastic egg cartons, plastic muffin containers, tubs, and lids, and all small-mouth plastic containers. All containers must be less than 5L in size.

Styrofoam, plastic bags and film, bubble wrap, plastic planting trays, plastic toys, lawn furniture, motor oil containers and gas cans, plastic cutlery, coat hangers, binders, and lawn edging.

Aluminum Only clean items are accepted. Place loosely in the Blue Box. Empty aerosol cans and empty dry paint cans are now recyclable. Paint can lids must be placed in the Blue Box separately from the can.

Paper-backed foil (e.g. lids from take-out food), foil laminates (e.g. potato chip bags).

Glass All food and beverage glass bottles and jars are accepted, including coloured glass. It is not necessary to remove labels. Remove and recycle metal lids and plastic lids.

Medication bottles, light bulbs, window glass, mirror glass, crystal, drinking glasses, and ceramics (e.g. plates, mugs).

Food and Beverage Containers All aluminum and steel cans are accepted. All Polycoat cartons (e.g. milk, juice) and Tetra Paks (e.g. drink boxes) are accepted. Remove and discard straws.

Do not include full cans or cans containing hazardous materials. These items should be taken to the Hazardous Waste Depot.

Newspaper and Mixed Paper Place the following items either inside or beside the Blue Box:
Newspaper: Including all inserts and flyers. Remove and discard plastic bags.
Mixed Paper: Phone books, junk mail, magazines, catalogues, office paper & envelopes (window & regular), paper bags, and other items that are paper. Staples need not be removed.

Waxed or foil-coated paper, potato chip bags, coffee cups, styrofoam, and paper that is soiled with food or grease.

Boxboard and Cardboard Corrugated cardboard: Flatten and tie in bundles measuring no larger than 75 cm x 75 cm x 20 cm (30” x 30” x 8”). Place bundle(s) beside Blue Box. Use string or twine to tie bundles, not wire.
Boxboard: Cereal, pasta, laundry, and shoe boxes, etc. Remove liners/windows and flatten boxes. Do not mix with newspaper and mixed paper. Bundle with corrugated cardboard.

Frozen food boxes that have a wax coating, boxes that are heavily soiled with food or grease.

Hazardous Wastes
Callander residents must drop off at the Hazardous Waste Depot in North Bay

Municipal Dump

Please note that there is no municipal dump in Callander. Residents are requested to use the Merrick Landfill Site off Highway 11 North on Sand Dam Road in Merrick Township.

Hours of operation:

Monday – Friday: 7:30am – 5pm

Saturday: 8am – 5pm

Sundays: Only summer months (Victoria Day to Thanksgiving) 12pm – 4pm.

For more information, please visit the Merrick Landfill Website.

Composting
Composting bins are readily available for purchase at hardware stores. One-third of household garbage is estimated to be compostable.

The “4R Approach”
Reduce, reuse, recycle, and repair as much as possible.

Hazardous Material
Dispose of hazardous material regularly, at the Household Hazardous Waste Depot.

Spring & Fall Cleanup
Each spring and fall, Callander residents are offered opportunities to dispose of unwanted items, according to a list of accepted objects. Information about spring and fall cleanup is available on our Spring and Fall Cleanup Page.

Pitch In

The Pitch In Community Cleanup involves millions of Canadians in local projects focused on cleaning up, restoring, and/or preserving the environment. Callander community members get together once a year to clean up beaches, neighbourhoods, and public outdoor spaces. For more information, visit the Events page.

Garbage Bag Tags, Open-Air Buring Permits (aka Fire Permit), and Animal Tags can be purchased online directly through our website.

Online purchases can be made using Visa, Mastercard, or Interac Online banking.

As an alternative to purchasing online, please note that services can also be purchased directly at the Municipal Office.

If you need any assistance, you can contact us at 705-752-1410 x221.

 

Purchase Garbage Bag Tags

For all the information about Spring and Fall Clean Up Days in Callander, visit the Spring and Fall Clean Up Days page.

FreeCycle Weekend

The next FreeCycle Weekend will be April 27th and 28th.

During Callander’s FreeCycle Weekend, place used items that are in good condition on your property next to the sidewalk or curb for others to take. This gives older items new life and keeps them out of landfills, which helps us contribute to a more sustainable community and maintain longevity in our landfills.

  • Please only leave out items in usable condition
  • FreeCycle Weekend Free Item Signs are available to download here. Please attach these to your items to reduce any confusion over which items are free.
  • All goods need to be removed from the curb by Sunday at 6 pm
  • We’ve planned for this to take place the weekend before fall clean-up days, in case residents wish to place any remaining items back on the curb for their designated curbside pickup day

Acceptable Items:

  • Books, CDs, DVDs
  • Furniture, electronics, artwork, mirrors
  • Sports equipment, toys
  • Yard and gardening tools and equipment
  • Small appliances, kitchen gadgets, dishes, cutlery, pots and pans
  • Usable construction material (e.g., nails, paint, wood)?
  • Clothing
  • Musical instruments
  • Plants or potted trees

 Unacceptable Items:

  • Items that could harbour bedbugs (e.g. mattresses, furniture, bedding)
  • Toilets
  • Any appliances with cooling systems
  • Dangerous items or hazardous waste
  • Additional guidelines:
    • Respect other people’s property – don’t walk or drive on people’s lawns or gardens
    • Don’t discard items on another person’s lawn
    • Obey traffic laws at all times (e.g., don’t block traffic, park illegally or block people’s driveways with your vehicle)
    • Keep items you do not want to give away close to your home to avoid confusion
    • Keep sidewalks and fire hydrants clear

Callander’s waste material is dictated by the Municipal Waste Management by-law 2017-1522