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Type what you’re throwing out — it tells you which bag or cart it goes in.
(3 months ago)
Whitehorse splits its waste across carts, a recycling depot, deposit refunds and the dump — and it's easy to get wrong. Type what you're throwing out and see where it goes.
The streams
Green cart (compost)
Food scraps, yard waste and food-soiled paper — collected at the curb.
Black cart (garbage)
What can't be composted, recycled or returned for a deposit — the true garbage.
Recycling (blue bin / depot)
Clean paper, cardboard, cartons, metal cans and hard plastic containers.
Return for a refund
Drink containers with a deposit — cans, bottles and cartons — taken back to a depot.
Electronics — Raven ReCentre
Computers, screens, phones and printers — free e-waste drop-off.
Household hazardous waste
Paint, oil, batteries, propane, aerosols, chemicals and fluorescent bulbs.
The full list, bin by bin
Green cart (compost)
Food scraps — All food waste goes in the green cart.
Fruit & vegetable peelings
Meat, fish & bones — Shells, fish bones and meat all go in the green cart.
Eggshells & shellfish shells
Coffee grounds & paper filters — Coffee filters count as food-soiled paper.
Pizza box (greasy) — Greasy pizza boxes compost; tear off any clean cardboard for recycling.
Paper napkins & food-soiled paper
Brown paper bags (food-soiled)
Yard waste & grass clippings — Grass, leaves, twigs and sawdust go in the green cart.
Certified compostable bags & dishware — Only items with a BPI or Compostable-logo certification; other 'compostable' items may not qualify.
Bread & baked goods
Black cart (garbage)
Diapers & hygiene products — Not recyclable or compostable.
Bagged pet waste & cat litter
Recyclables don't go to the dump
Since 1 November 2025, recycling runs under a producer-responsibility program (Circular Materials). Drop clean recyclables free at the Raven ReCentre depot, 100 Galena Rd, or use your curbside blue-bin / yellow-bag pickup. The Waste Management Facility no longer takes recyclable paper or packaging.
Carts out by 7 a.m.
Put your cart to the curb by 7 a.m. on your collection day. Garbage and organics alternate every second week — check the City's collection calendar for your zone.
Bottles and cans get a refund
Most drink containers — pop and beer cans, water and pop bottles, wine and liquor bottles, milk and juice cartons — carry a deposit. Return them to a Whitehorse depot (Raven ReCentre or P&M Recycling) for your money back. That's also how most glass gets recycled here.
Not the curb — these go to a depot
Household hazardous waste — Saturdays
Oil-based paint, solvents, propane, aerosols, batteries, fluorescent bulbs and garden chemicals: free at the Waste Management Facility, Saturdays 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Motor oil, antifreeze, filters and their containers go to KBL Environmental (Mondays, Thursdays and the first Saturday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m.).
Electronics — Raven ReCentre
Computers, monitors, TVs, phones and printers: free at Raven ReCentre, 100 Galena Rd (the recycling fee was prepaid when you bought them).
Big and bulky — self-haul to the dump
Tires (off the rim), mattresses, appliances, scrap metal, clean wood and construction waste aren't a curbside stream — take them to the Waste Management Facility, where they're sorted on arrival.
Glass jars and a few odd items
Non-refundable glass jars (pasta sauce, pickles) aren't accepted in curbside recycling here, and the correct route isn't published — check the City's sorting guide. Ink and toner cartridges go back to Staples, not Raven.
The last word
Yukon moved residential recycling to a producer-responsibility program (Circular Materials) on 1 November 2025. The City page has the current what-goes-where and your collection calendar.
Latex / water-based paint (dried out) — Open the can, let latex paint dry, then bin it — do NOT take it to hazardous waste. Only oil-based paint and solvents are hazardous.
Recycling (blue bin / depot)
Cardboard boxes — Flatten. Shipping, shoe and moving boxes all count.
Boxboard (cereal & tissue boxes) — Flatten and empty.
Paper egg cartons
Newspaper, flyers & magazines — Paper of any colour is accepted; keep it out of plastic bags.
Office paper & envelopes
Cartons (soup / broth / sauce) — Non-drink cartons: empty, food-free, lids on. (Milk and juice cartons carry a deposit — return those.)
Metal food & soup cans — Empty and food-free; metal lids can go in too.
Clean aluminum foil & trays — Foil, pie plates and frozen-food trays if empty and clean; soiled foil goes in garbage.
Plastic jugs (detergent, shampoo) — Hard plastic containers; empty, lids on.
Plastic tubs (yogurt, margarine) — Empty and food-free; lids accepted.
Plastic clamshells / berry containers — Empty and food-free.
Prescription / pill bottles — Empty, lids on.
Disposable paper coffee cup — Empty and remove the lid (the plastic lid is also recyclable).
Return for a refund
Aluminum pop / soda cans — Return for your deposit refund.
Plastic water / pop bottles — Return for your deposit refund.
Beer cans & bottles
Wine & liquor bottles — This is how non-jar glass gets recycled here — return it for the deposit.
Juice boxes & cartons
Milk cartons & jugs — Milk containers were added to the deposit program — return them for a refund.
Plant-based milk cartons (soy / almond / oat)
Electronics — Raven ReCentre
Computer / laptop — Free at Raven ReCentre; can also be donated to Computers for Schools Yukon.
Monitor / TV — Free e-waste drop-off at Raven ReCentre, 100 Galena Rd.
Printer — Free at Raven ReCentre. (Ink and toner cartridges aren't accepted — take those to Staples.)
Cell phone / small electronics
Household hazardous waste
Oil-based paint, stains & thinners — Saturday drop-off at the Waste Management Facility. (Latex/water-based paint instead dries out and goes in the garbage.)
Motor oil & oil filters — Waste oil, filters and their containers go to KBL Environmental (Mon/Thu & first Sat).