Why can’t I recycle hard plastics?

The curbside recycling program accepts clean household packaging and paper only. Hard plastics are products (eg., Rubbermaid totes, Tupperware containers, toys, plastic lawn furniture), which are not accepted in the curbside program.

People often think that the chasing-arrows symbol on plastic items means the item is recyclable but unfortunately, this code (called the resin identification code) is actually just indicating the type of plastic the item is comprised of. Within these codes, there are different manufacturing processes, dyes, additives and melting points that make each item unique. For example, within resin code #2, the items can vary from plastic bags and water bottles to your CVRD recycling tote!

Plastic packaging materials (e.g. plastic containers, plastic bags, and plastic bottles) are the most commonly recycled plastic materials due to their consistent composition, single-use nature, and established end-market.  As such, the CVRD curbside recycling program accepts household packaging, not products.

To learn more, watch our Hard Plastics Recycling Mythbuster video!

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