How to safely dispose of COVID-19 infected waste
Use extra caution
Be careful when handling and preparing this item for disposal. Follow the instructions below for proper disposal.
If you or someone one in your household has tested positive for COVID-19, please take these extra precautions with your household waste. This is for your own personal safety as well as for your collector and facility staff that will deal with your waste.
How to dispose
There are three ways to dispose of COVID-19 infected items depending on whether they are recyclable, compostable or waste.
Paper, cardboard, plastics and other recylables
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Put into your blue cart or take to a community recycling depot
Recyclables must be decontaminated before putting in the blue cart by:
- Cleaning the recyclables with soap and water
OR
- Storing recyclables in a garage, shed etc. for at least 3 days.
- If stored (for longer than 3 days prior to your collection day) then there is no need to decontaminate.
Once decontaminated, put your recyclables in loose (unbagged) except for bagged plastic bags and bagged shredded paper.
Food scraps and yard waste
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Put into your green cart
All food scraps and yard waste must be bagged in certified compostable bags or paper bags and put into your green cart for composting. Used tissues and food-soiled paper towel and napkins can continue to be composted but must be bagged in certified compostable bags or paper bags.
General garbage
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Put into your black cart
Put all garbage materials into garbage bags and tie securely closed into your black cart as garbage.
Put all cleaning wipes (e.g. Lysol wipes, Clorox wipes) and paper towel with cleaning chemicals on it into your black cart as garbage. Do not flush down the toilet.