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Where to Recycle

RPRA’s ‘Where to Recycle’ map displays locations across Ontario where you can drop off used materials to be recycled, such as batteries, electronics, household hazardous waste, lighting and tires, for free. Materials collected at these locations are reused, refurbished, recycled, or properly disposed of to help keep them out of landfill, recover valuable resources and protect our environment.  

Learn about the specific materials that are accepted at these locations, what you need to know before dropping off used products, and more.

Use the filters below to find locations near you. You can filter by address or postal code, distance you’re willing to travel, location type, and/or the material you’re looking to drop off.   

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Helpful information

The information below answers your frequently asked questions about the ‘Where to Recycle’ map.

What materials are accepted for recycling at these locations?

The following examples of materials are not exhaustive. If you would like to drop off materials that are not listed below, we recommend first contacting the location to confirm that they accept them. 

Examples of batteries accepted

Single-use and rechargeable batteries weighing 5 kg or less each are accepted for recycling. Examples include:  

  • Button cells 
  • AA, AAA, C, D, 9V, 
  • Lantern batteries 
  • Sealed lead acid batteries 
  • Replacement batteries for products (e.g., drill, cell phone, laptop) 
    • Note: batteries must be separated from the product before dropping it off 

Important things to know before dropping off your used batteries

  • All battery recycling locations must accept up to 15 kgs of batteries a day per person. 
  • Retail locations must accept all batteries similar to the products sold at the store (e.g., if the store sells single-use AA batteries, they must accept single-use AA batteries for recycling). 
  • Depots and events must accept all types of single-use and rechargeable batteries weighing 5 kgs or less each. 

Examples of electronics accepted

  • Computers 
  • Printers (desktop and floor-standing) 
  • Printer cartridges 
  • Video gaming devices 
  • Telephones, including cellular phones 
  • Display devices and monitors 
  • Radios and stereos, including after-market vehicle stereos 
  • Headphones 
  • Speakers 
  • Cameras, including security cameras 
  • Video recorders 
  • Drones with audio or visual recording equipment 
  • Peripherals and cables used to support the function of electronic equipment, including charging equipment 
  • Parts of electronic equipment sold separately, such as hard drives 
  • Handheld point-of-sale terminals or devices 
  • Electrical musical instruments 
  • Audio recording equipment 

Important things to know before dropping off your used electronics

  • All electronic recycling locations must accept up to 50 kgs of electronics a day per person.  
  • Retail locations must accept all electronics similar to the products sold at the store (e.g., if the retail location sells 50” TVs, they must accept 50” TVs for recycling). 
  • Depots and events must accept all types of electronics. 

Examples of household hazardous waste accepted

Product examples are sorted into the following two categories. 

Category A 

  • Oil filters 
  • Non-refillable pressurized containers 
    • E.g. Helium, nitrogen or propane cylinders 

Category B 

  • Antifreeze 
  • Oil containers 
  • Paints and coatings 
    • E.g. Aerosol paint, primers, sealers 
  • Solvents 
    • E.g. Acetone, paint strippers, 3-in-1 multipurpose oil 
  • Pesticides 
    • E.g. Fungicides, herbicides, insecticides 

Important things to know before dropping off your used household hazardous waste

  • Household hazardous waste includes the packaging that the product came in. For example, if you fully finish a container of antifreeze, the empty container should be recycled as household hazardous waste. If the container still holds some of the product when you’re ready to dispose of it, both the product and the packaging should be recycled as household hazardous waste.    
  • Retail stores and depots must accept up to 25 kgs of each category of household hazardous waste a day per person.  
  • Municipal depots must accept the full list of materials in the same category of household hazardous waste (e.g., if a depot accepts antifreeze, which is in category B, the depot must also accept all other materials in category B, such as oil containers and paints and coatings).  

Examples of lighting accepted

  • Light bulbs, tubes, and lamps, including: 
    • incandescent 
    • fluorescent 
    • halogen 
    • light emitting diode (LED) 
    • high-intensity discharge (HID) 
    • ultraviolet 

Important things to know before dropping off your used lighting

  • Lighting fixtures are not accepted for recycling. 
  • All lighting recycling locations must accept up to 5 kgs of lighting a day per person. Some locations may choose to accept more than 5 kgs.  
  • Retail locations must accept all lighting similar to the products sold at the store (e.g., if the retail location sells fluorescent bulbs, they must accept fluorescent bulbs for recycling). 
  • Depots and events must accept all types of lighting (excluding lighting fixtures). 

Examples of tires accepted at retail stores and events

Tires that weigh one kilogram or more are accepted for recycling. Examples include: 

  • Car, truck, motorcycle, ATV, and trailer tires 
  • Tires on industrial and agricultural vehicles and equipment 
  • Snowblower, wheelbarrow, dolly and lawn mower tires 

Tires accepted at depots or locations located on Crown land

  • Standard passenger vehicles and light truck tires, including those with rims 

Important things to know before dropping off your used tires

  • Retail stores: 
    • must accept all used tires, including tires on rims, that are similar to the new tires sold or supplied at the location. 
    • must accept up to 10 tires a day per person. 
  • Municipal depots must accept up to 10 passenger and light truck tires (including those with rims) a day per person. 

 

Other FAQs

No. Public recycling locations (that are displayed on the map) cannot charge the public a fee or refuse the drop-off of materials that the location accepts. For more information on what materials are accepted for recycling at specific locations, see the section above. 

If you are charged a fee or refused drop off, you can report an issue about that specific location to RPRA (see FAQ below for further instructions). 

If you experience an issue when dropping off your recyclables at a location displayed on the map, click the ‘Report an Issue’ link on that specific location. This link will open a form for you to fill out about the issue. RPRA’s Compliance Team will review the issue reported and take action, as necessary.

You may report an issue to RPRA because the recycling location:   

  • Charges you a fee to drop off materials accepted for recycling. 
  • Refuses to accept your materials for recycling (only applicable if your materials are in line with the examples provided above). 
  • Displayed on the map does not actually exist. 
  • Is not open to the public or does not accept the materials during its business hours. 

If the map is not showing any recycling locations near you, you can: 

  1. Try expanding your search by increasing the distance you’re willing to travel or modifying other filters. 
  2. If there still isn’t a recycling location near you, contact the waste management department at your municipality for proper disposal instructions.  

Under Ontario’s circular economy laws, businesses that produce or supply batteries, electronics, household hazardous waste, lighting, and tires are required to provide recycling locations and report them to RPRA. Only locations reported to RPRA appear on the map.

Recycling locations you’re already aware of that don’t appear on the map most likely collect materials not listed above or are operated by a municipality who aren’t required to report recycling locations to RPRA.

This map provides locations for most materials captured under Ontario’s recycling programs, which are overseen by RPRA: batteries, electronics, household hazardous waste, lighting and tires. See below for more information on what to do with materials that aren’t displayed on the map.

Household hazardous waste

Drop-off locations for some household hazardous waste, such as refillable propane containers, refillable pressurized containers, fertilizers and mercury-containing thermostats, thermometers and barometers, aren’t displayed on the map because they aren’t required (under the recycling program) to be reported to RPRA.  

However, there may be locations that accept these materials for recycling that aren’t listed on RPRA’s Where to Recycle map. To find a location to dispose of refillable propane containers, refillable pressurized containers, fertilizers or mercury-containing thermostats, thermometers and barometers, contact one of the businesses below or visit their website:  

  • Mobius PRO Services 
  • Product Care Association 
    • Offers services for fertilizers and refillable propane containers 
    • Website (includes a map with recycling locations) 
  • Ryse Solutions Ontario Inc. 
    • Offers services for fertilizers, refillable pressurized containers, refillable propane containers, barometers, thermometers and thermostats 
    • Phone: 289-352-1200| Email: info@ryseinc.ca | Website 
  • Tank Traders 
    • Offers services for refillable propane containers 
    • Website (includes a map with recycling locations) 
  • Thermostat Recovery Program 
    • Offers services for thermostats 
    • Website (includes a map with recycling locations) 

Other materials (e.g., organics, mattresses, textiles, etc.)

If you need to recycle materials outside of the programs that RPRA oversees (e.g., organics, mattresses, textiles, etc.), please contact the waste management department at your municipality for proper disposal instructions. 

Typically, only municipal depots may require valid IDs when dropping off materials to recycle to confirm you live in that municipality. It is recommended to bring your ID with you to any location, just in case. 

Blue Box materials (i.e., products and packaging made of metal, glass, paper, flexible plastic, rigid plastic, and beverage containers) are typically collected directly from residences through the provincial Blue Box Program. RPRA’s ‘Where to Recycle’ map displays public locations for recycling materials that don’t belong in your Blue Box (e.g., batteries, electronics, household hazardous waste, lighting and tires).  

For more information on recycling Blue Box materials, visit Circular Materials’ website. Circular Materials is the administrator of Ontario’s Blue Box collection system.  

Ontario is shifting from a linear to a circular economy. In a linear economy, natural resources are extracted, manufactured into products, consumed and then thrown away. In a circular economy, products and packaging are designed to minimize waste and then recovered, reused, recycled and reintegrated back into production. 

The Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority, also known as RPRA, is the regulator mandated by the Government of Ontario to enforce the province’s circular economy laws. 

RPRA currently oversees six recycling programs in Ontario. Under these programs, the businesses that produce the materials are legally required to collect and recycle those materials after consumers have finished using them. RPRA is responsible for ensuring those businesses are properly collecting and recycling their materials across the province.  

The six recycling programs are for the following materials:  

  1. Batteries 
  2. Blue Box materials (glass, plastic, metal or paper packaging) 
  3. Electronics 
  4. Household hazardous waste (paint, acetone, antifreeze, propane cylinders) 
  5. Lighting 
  6. Tires   

The Ontario government is responsible for creating the legislation that outlines the province’s recycling programs and materials that are accepted under each program. The government can choose to introduce additional programs/materials in the future.  

To learn more about RPRA’s work, visit our Who We Are webpage. 

Businesses that produce or supply batteries, electronics, household hazardous waste, lighting and tires are legally required to provide recycling locations across the province for the public to drop off those materials once they’re finished using them. The businesses are required to reuse, refurbish, recycle, or properly dispose of the materials collected at those locations to help keep them out of landfill, recover valuable resources and protect our environment.