- Put items in the boxes and place them by the curb on their pickup date before 6 a.m.
- Place your boxes on the curb as close to the roadway as possible, without blocking the sidewalk.
- Place items loosely in the boxes, do not bag your recyclables.
- Put all plastic bags into one plastic bag, tie it closed, and place it in your grey bin.
- Help us avoid recycling blowing away on a windy day! Place heavier recyclable items on top or place an unattached piece of wood over top of the box.
- Ensure each box and its contents weigh less than 44lbs (20kg).
Recyclable Waste
Starting July 1, 2025, Circular Materials Ontario (CMO) will take over Kingston’s blue and grey bin programs. Learn more about the recycling transition.
We offer various programs to manage household waste efficiently and sustainably. Garbage sent to landfill contributes to climate-changing greenhouse gas emissions. Help minimize climate change by reducing your waste and sorting it properly.
Blue and grey waste collection schedule
Your blue box and grey box are collected on alternating weeks. There is no limit to the number of correctly sorted boxes that will be collected.
Blue box
The blue box collects clean/rinsed metal, plastic and glass containers, as well as rigid plastic packaging for recycling.
What can I put in the blue box?
Do not put the following waste in the blue box:
- Grocery bags and stretchy plastic film (goes in the grey box)
- Flatware, window glass and mirrors
- Coloured (blue, pink, black, etc.) styrofoam
- Plastic containers larger than 10L
- Styrofoam peanuts
- Plastic toys
- Lawn furniture and other oversized plastics
- Crinkly plastic film, pet food bags and bubble wrap.
- Broken glass (goes in the garbage, in a cardboard box, tape it shut, label it)
Grey box
The grey box is used to collect paper products, cardboard and plastic bags. Put all the plastic bags into one plastic bag and tie it. Each grey box and its contents must weigh less than 20kg (44lbs).
What can I put in the grey box?
- Plastic bags and stretchy plastic film (placed in a tied plastic bag)
- Newspaper, flyers, junk mail, magazines, office paper (all colours), envelopes
- Shredded paper (in a clear tied bag max 90cm x 60cm x 20cm )
- Boxboard, food and beverage cartons (milk, juice, soup, broth, etc)
- Coffee cups – lid removed (place in blue box)
- Corrugated cardboard (may be bundled, max 90cm x 60cm x 20cm)
- Cardboard pieces inside another cardboard box, (max 90cmx 60cmx 20cm)
Do not put the following waste in the grey box:
- Crinkly plastic film, pet-food bags and bubble wrap.
- Greasy pizza boxes (these go in your green bin)
- Meat packaging
- Gift wrap
- Cereal/cracker liners
- Zipper-style plastic bags
Need a recycling box?
Each property is entitled to two free blue boxes and 1 grey box. You can also get a replacement if yours has been lost, stolen, or broken. Extra boxes cost $6.70 / box. You may use another rigid-plastic box for recycling, but it must have dimensions that are like the boxes we provide: 56 cm (22") long x 43 cm (17") wide x 37 cm (14.5") tall, and be able to hang on the side of the collection vehicles.
Get your boxes at:
- The administrative building at the Kingston Area Recycling Centre (KARC), 196 Lappan's Lane, Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (will also accept damaged bins for replacement).
- The scale house at KARC is open Monday to Friday 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. (except civic holidays).
- City Hall, 216 Ontario St., Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except civic holidays).
- Rideau Heights Community Centre & Library, 85 MacCauley St., Monday to Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except civic holidays).
- Kingston East Community Centre, 779 Highway 15, Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Recycling transition
Residential recycling programs in Ontario are shifting to a new system run and funded by the producers of recyclable materials. Starting July 1, 2025, Circular Materials Ontario (CMO) will take over Kingston’s blue and grey bin programs. Emterra Environmental is contracted by CMO to collect recyclable materials in Kingston in 2025.
The City will have no control over recycling collection after July 1, 2025. If your recycling was missed, or you have questions about collection, contact Emterra at:
- Phone: 1-888-597-1541
- Email: customercareont@emterra.ca
- Website: CircularMaterials
What changes should I expect to my recycling collection after July 1, 2025?
- You’ll notice little to no change in your weekly recycling routine. Blue and grey box collection will still happen regularly—but it’ll be handled by Circular Materials Ontario (CMO) and their selected contractor, Emterra, instead of the City.
- Your collection day and accepted materials will stay the same at least until the end of 2025. In 2026 or later, CMO may update collection days or methods.
- If you need a new bin or want to exchange a broken one, that will go through CMO’s contractor, Emterra.
- Keep sorting your recyclables as usual. Our Waste app will continue to include the recycling sorting function.
Is this the same as the City’s transition to automated cart-based waste collection?
No, automated cart-based waste collection and the recycling transition are two different programs:
- Recycling transition: starting July 1, 2025, Circular Materials Ontario (CMO) will take over management of the blue and grey box recycling collection in Kingston. Emterra Environmental is their selected contractor for service.
- Automated cart-based waste collection: starting July 1, 2025 the City will begin introducing automated cart-based collection for garbage and green bins (organics) in select neighbourhoods.
If your household is included in the first phase, you’ll receive your new carts before July 1.
The rollout will continue over several years across Kingston. The City will remain responsible for collecting garbage and organics. Learn more about the transition to automated cart-based waste collection.
Why are these recycling changes happening?
- The Ontario government’s Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act’s Blue Box Regulation places full financial, operational and performance accountability for recycling programs on the producers of recyclable materials. This approach is called extended producer responsibility and already applies to many commercial goods, including tires, batteries, electronics and hazardous materials like paint or antifreeze. The new collection system will make recycling easier by standardizing what can be recycled across Ontario.
- This is a provincial mandate that all Ontario municipalities are required to follow.
- This program is administered by Circular Materials Ontario, a new non-profit organization representing producers.
- The producer responsibility approach creates a direct incentive to producers to reduce waste and improve recycling, which decreases pollution and greenhouse gas emissions and reduces natural resource usage.
Who is responsible for recycling collection?
Emterra Environmental is contracted by Circular Materials Ontario to collect recyclables in Kingston starting July 1, 2025
What is happening to the Kingston Area Recycling Centre (KARC)?
- There will be no changes to the drop-off process until Dec. 31, 2025.
- Blue and grey bins will no longer be available at KARC starting July 1.
Contact Emterra Environmental for new or replacement bins starting July 1, 2025
Will the City continue updating the Waste app?
Yes, the Waste app will continue to be functional after the transition. We will work with Circular Materials to maintain the app and its content for recycling.
Contact Us
City of Kingston
City Hall
216 Ontario Street
Kingston, ON K7L 2Z3
Canada
contactus@cityofkingston.ca
Phone: 613-546-0000

The City of Kingston acknowledges that we are on the traditional homeland of the Anishinabek, Haudenosaunee, and the Huron-Wendat, and thanks these nations for their care and stewardship over this shared land.
Today, the City is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and all residents to pursue a united path of reconciliation.
Learn more about the City's reconciliation initiatives.