Show All Answers

1. Can I recycle old photographs?

Photo paper is heavily treated with chemicals and therefore isn't accepted in the recycling program. Photos can be disposed of in your household garbage.

2. How do I dispose of an old mattress?

Old mattresses may be disposed of at refuse disposal facilities at the Salmon Arm Landfill, Revelstoke Landfill, Sicamous Landfill, Golden Landfill, Scotch Creek Transfer Station, Skimikin Transfer Station, and Falkland Transfer Station in the designated area.  

Mattresses are collected for recycling and are disassembled. The metal, wood, and foam are recycled, only the fabric cover is disposed of as trash. 

3. How do I dispose of lighting ballasts?

Light ballasts require special handling and are included in the Light Recycle Extended Producer Responsibility Program. Bills Bottle Depot and the Revelstoke Bottle Depot MAY take them, depending on the date of manufacture. If you have older ballasts or large quantities, please arrange collection through the Product Care Association.

4. How do I recycle old light bulbs and old Christmas lights?

Lights are part of a Provincial Take back program. Please check the Provincial Take-Back Program page to find the depot nearest you. If there is no depot, hang onto your lights until the next recycling round up event in your community.

5. What can I do with items such as CD's, VHS tapes, DVD's, floppy disks, and other types of "storage media"?

If these items are ready for recycling, they can be taken to an Encorp electronics recycling depot. This recycling program includes items such as CD's, DVD's, floppy disks, flash drives, VHS tapes, and vinyl records. Cases for these items are included in the recycling program as well, provided that the cases are brought with the storage media items themselves.

6. What do I do with Auto Tires?

Vehicle tires are not permitted at refuse disposal sites. Most tire retailers will accept old tires, or visit Tire Stewardship BC to find the nearest recycling drop off location.

7. What do I do with my old electronics and small appliances?

Virtually all items that plug in are part of a return to depot program administered by the provincial government. Please see the Provincial Take-Back Program page to select the item you wish to recycle and locate the nearest depot.

8. What do I do with old paint and empty paint cans?

Paint containers with lids and labels, both full or empty, are part of a Provincial Take Back program, and cannot be disposed of as garbage.

The hazardous waste depots at the Golden, and Revelstoke Landfills accept paint products, free of charge, on Saturdays only. At the Salmon Arm Landfill, the hazardous waste depot is open on Wednesdays and Saturdays. To locate a depot closer to your community, visit the Product Care website.

9. What do I do with plastic bags?

Place plastic bags in the FILM PLASTIC receptacle at your nearest recycling depot - they are not to be placed in your curbside collection container or bag. Place flexible plastic packaging in the flexible plastic packaging receptacle at your nearest recycling depot. Do not place in your curbside collection container or bag. Chip bags, waxed cereal liners and shrink wrap for meat and cheese are accepted for recycling as flexible plastic packaging.

Ziploc (or similar) brand sandwich/freezer bags, garbage bags, and recycling bags are not accepted because, under the definition of Packaging and Printed Paper, these items were not purchased at the store with items INSIDE them and therefore are not a package.

10. What do I do with styrofoam?

Styrofoam packaging is accepted at CSRD recycling depots as of January 2015. Colored and white styrofoam must be separated into separate bins at the depots. An example of a colored styrofoam item is a colored meat tray. Squishy foam and foam wrap is not accepted as recycling and should be disposed of as refuse.

11. Where do I take large and small propane tanks?

Propane tanks, including disposable cylinders, may be dropped off at your nearest refuse disposal facility for recycling at no cost. Propane tanks are dangerous to equipment operators and should never be placed in the garbage.

12. Why can you put plastic yogurt containers in your recycling bin but not plastic toys?

That answer comes from Recycle BC, the provincial stewardship agency responsible for residential packaging and paper recycling. They also collect material in accordance with the Province of BC's Recycling Regulation.

Recycle BC offers this easy way to determine if material (that is recyclable) can be included in their system. If it's recyclable and its packaging or paper it's included. If it's a product, meaning it was the item you purchased (not the packaging around the item you purchased) it's not recyclable as part to their program. Find out more detail from Recycle BC.

13. Why does recycling need to be sorted at the drop off depot?

The CSRD has partnered with Recycle BC, a Stewardship agency appointed by the Province of BC to collect all packaging and printed paper in BC. Recycle BC requires the material to be sorted at the source, reducing the amount of contamination of products at the processor.

14. How do I dispose of fiberglass insulation?

Fiberglass insulation is disposed of as garbage, either in your garbage can at the curb or at the landfill.