Recycling in West Hants
Since 1998, recyclables have been banned from entering Nova Scotia landfills. Plastics and paper waste is now picked up every second week from households in West Hants, with a limit of 10 bags each collection.
Since 2012, recyclables collected in West Hants have been sent to Scotia Recycling Limited. They are a leading recycling company in Atlantic Canada that has been operating in the recycling industry since 1976. With the expansion of their sales department, it has allowed the company to become a recognized professional broker and exporter of quality secondary fiber and various plastic film grades. These items are brought to the Port of Halifax and exported all across the globe to be made into something new.
Recycling Bag Limits
Windsor Residents Only: Four (4) bags
Remainder of WHRM: Ten (10) bags
- Each bag can be swapped for a bundle of cardboard.
Important Curbside Recycling Details:
- Clear or Clear Blue bags only. Black bags and other opaque bags will be rejected.
- Paper waste must be kept in a separate bag from all other recyclables (plastics, tin, glass, etc.)
- Cardboard must be securely bundled or bagged. Loose cardboard will not be collected.
- Items over 70% Metal fall under a separate collection that occurs once a year in the late spring. See "Special Collections: Metal Waste" for details.
- Unsure if something is Recyclable? Check the Waste Wizard here.
Understanding the Process - How the Market Determines What we Recycle
Recyclable materials are:
Collected > Processed at Sorting Facility > Sold > Transported > Re-manufactured
Technically speaking, most materials can be recycled with the right technology and enough investment, but it's important to understand that the current market will determine what recycling facilities can sell, and how much they can sell.
The market is always changing, and quantity demand is variable. As a result, the materials accepted at your local facility can change over time and may vary from other municipal collection programs depending on investment, sorting technology, and access to certain markets.
To optimize recycling, please pay attention to your updated sorting guides for WHRM.
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Find our latest sorting guides and curbside guidelines here, or use our Waste App: R6Recycles to search what goes where with ease!
Why do we Recycle?
Saving Energy & Resources
If it can't be grown, it has to be mined - But with more materials in circulation through recycling programs, less of our natural resources such as trees, minerals and water are required for extraction and processing. This in-turn reduces the overall consumption of energy.
Preventing Pollution
Pollution occurs at every stage of an item's life, from extracting and processing raw materials, to landfilling or incineration when the item is no longer usable. When we recycle, we significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and spare natural ecosystems.
Giving "Trash" New Life
Instead of taking up space in landfills, recycling allows that item to become something new and useful once again. When this cycle is maintained, think of the impact we can make!
Reducing Landfills
When the need for landfills is reduced, we maintain usable, productive land. Let's preserve all the land we can - they aren't making it anymore!
Creating Jobs
New jobs will be created as the recycling industry grows
Photo: Scotia Recycling Ltd. Facility, 2018.