

Becoming a Zero Waste community means rethinking what we send to the landfill, and looking for alternative ways to reuse and recycle as much as possible.
Whether you’ve just cleaned out your closet or have a garage full of old, broken, or unwanted electronics, these items can likely be reused or recycled – instead of ending up in the landfill.
What’s accepted for drop-off
The following items are accepted at each Zero Waste Reuse and Recycling Drop-off event.
For reuse
Accessories (scarves, hats, gloves)
Bags and purses
Bath towels
Bedding (sheets, pillow cases, blankets)
Bicycles in good condition
Books (soft and hardcover)
Clothing
Computers and monitors
Curtains
Fabric shower curtains
Kitchen tea towels
Shoes
Tablecloths and cloth napkins
Video game systems
For recycling
Cable and charging cables
Clothing*
Electronics (TVs, CD and DVD players, VCRs)
Home theatre components
Household batteries
Light bulbs
Light fixtures
Phones
Pillows, cushions, and duvets
Portable audio and video equipment
Small household appliances
Power tools
Smoke and CO alarms
VHS tapes, CDs, floppy disks, cassette tapes
Clothing and other textiles can be dropped off for both reuse and recycling as long as they are washed and dry. This includes items that can be worn again or are torn, ripped, full of holes, stained, worn-out or faded, missing buttons, with broken zippers, or singles of paired items. Depending on the type of item and its condition, it will be reused, repurposed, or recycled.
Clothing or textiles that are wet, mildewed, contaminated or infested with moths or bed bugs will not be accepted.
For a full list of accepted items, visit our event partners' websites:
- Electronics - Encorp External web site, opens in new tab
- Household batteries - Call2Recycle External website, opens in new tab
- Light bulbs and light fixtures - LightRecycle External web site, opens in new tab
- Small appliances and power tools - ElectroRecycle External web site, opens in new tab
- Smoke and CO alarms – Product Care External website, opens in new tab
Materials not accepted
The following items are currently not accepted at Zero Waste reuse and recycling drop-off events:
Car seats*
Carpet and rugs
Construction materials, such as drywall and wood
Damaged bicycles
Damaged suitcases
Furniture and large or bulky items
Hazardous waste
Lawnmowers
Mattresses and box springs
Paper and magazines
Pharmaceutical products
Planter pots
Plastic storage containers
Propane tanks
Sinks, toilets, and bathtubs
Soft plastics
Styrofoam
Suitcases
Tires
Toys
Used oil
Car seats are no longer accepted for recycling at the City's free reuse and recycling drop-off events. They can be recycled, for a fee, at the following events and locations:
- Pacific Mobile Depots (PMD) – occurs monthly at Lord Byng Secondary School and at Britannia Community Centre. Learn more External web site, opens in new tab
- Queensborough Landing Return-it Depot in New Westminster. Learn more External web site, opens in new tab
Car seats were accepted at the City's reuse and recycling drop-off events in 2018 as part of a trial period where the we collected data on car seat recycling.
A total of 540 car seats were recycled during the trial period. We will use all data collected during the trial to advocate for and support a car seat Extended Producer Responsibility program where manufacturers and retailers are responsible for the end of life management of car seats.
Looking to repair or donate instead of recycle?
Before items are brought to a Zero Waste drop-off event, consider if they can be repaired or repurposed.
The following non-profit organizations provide options:
- BC Technology for Learning Society External web site, opens in new tab
- BabyGoRound External web site, opens in new tab
- Fabcycle External web site, opens in new tab
- Frameworq External web site, opens in new tab
- Free Geek External web site, opens in new tab
- Repair Matters External web site, opens in new tab
- Thingery External web site, opens in new tab
- Vancouver Tools Library External web site, opens in new tab