Diversion Programs and Events

Waste Reduction

One of the most effective things we can do to reduce our environmental footprint as well as make our landfills last longer is to reduce our waste. Often this also results in saving money for ourselves as well as the municipality as a whole. Some examples of ways that we can reduce our waste include:

  • Starting a backyard composter (this can reduce our garbage by over 30%!)
  • Drinking tap water (drinking bottled water is approximately 2000 times more expensive than tap water)
  • Use a reusable mug for coffee, and reusable containers for other food items
  • Reduce food waste by only buying what you need and using up any produce that you buy
  • Switch to package/plastic free items like bar soaps or beeswax wraps rather than plastic wrap
  • Donate unwanted items to local charities rather than bringing them to the landfill
  • Learn to repair and fix items when they are broken before throwing them out and purchasing new ones

Paper and Container Recycling - Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR)

As of April 1, 2024 household recycling in Kawartha Lakes is now the responsibility of the producers. It is called Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). All recycling inquiries should now go through Circular Materials, visit the Kawartha Lakes page on their website to learn more.

 Moving forward, if you have any recycling related inquiries, please contact your recycling collector:

Miller Waste will help with missed collections, and other recycling questions you may have!

If you'd like to provide feedback or comments in regards to Miller Waste's recycling collection services, you can contact Circular Materials:

Please note that there are no changes to your recycling collection services, other than who to contact for customer service.

Visit our Extended Producer Responsibility recycling page to learn more about EPR recycling in Kawartha Lakes.

Battery drop-off & curbside collection

Household battery drop-off boxes are set up at Municipal Service Centres and Libraries for your use. We accept undamaged, rechargeable and single-use batteries including:

  • AAA
  • AA
  • C
  • D
  • 9-volt (please place tape over the prongs)
  • button (please place tape over both sides of the battery)
  • cordless drill batteries

We are unable to accept:

  • rechargeable battery packs - NiCad, NiMH, or Lithium Ion (typically used in laptop computers, cellular phones, power tools)
  • 6-volt (often used in lanterns)
  • damaged or leaking batteries
  • wet cell batteries (such as automotive)

Curbside battery collection for 2025

  • March 17 to 20
  • November 10 to 13

Place batteries in a clear sealable plastic bag that's visible to the collector on your regular collection day.

Batteries not accepted in the collection boxes can be brought to the City's Household Hazardous Waste Depots at the Lindsay Ops or Fenelon landfill sites. 

Prior to recycling your batteries, please be sure to follow these safe battery storage guidelines:

  • Store batteries in their original packaging in a dry, indoor place at room temperature;
  • Seal the contact point ends of 9V batteries with a piece of masking, electrical or duct tape.

Leaf and yard waste

Leaf and yard waste is accepted at all landfills or can be set out at the curb during designated collection days. 

Lindsay Ops Landfill Free Wood Chips and Compost

Wood Chips and Compost are both currently available

  • Wednesdays, 8am to 4pm, at Lindsay Ops Landfill while quantities last
  • Residents must be prepared to load their own material
  • Quantities are tracked so please remember to weigh in and weigh out
  • Call ahead if requesting wood chips or compost November though to March

Electronics

All City landfill sites accept electronics for recycling at no charge. Examples of the types of electronics we accept include:

  • computers
  • printers
  • copiers
  • fax machines
  • small appliances
  • TVs, VCRs, CDs, DVDS
  • power tools
  • telephones
  • cell phones
  • electronic game consoles and games
  • digital cameras
  • hair dryers
  • smoke detectors
  • humidifiers

We are unable to accept the following for recycling:

  • vacuums
  • oscillating fans
  • dehumidifiers
  • VHS tapes

Please remove all personal information before you drop off electronics.

Household hazardous waste

You can take your household hazardous waste to either the Fenelon or Lindsay Ops landfill household hazardous waste depots at no cost.

The City is required to accept 55lbs (25kgs) of each category of household hazardous waste per customer per day. Please bring small loads of household hazardous waste to the depots. Quantities greater than this may not be accepted in one trip. It will be dependent on whether there adequate storage space available at that time.

Reuse programs

Paint reuse

From May 1 to October 15 you can pick up paint to bring home or bring your leftover paint to the Fenelon or Lindsay Ops landfill household hazardous waste depots.

Lindsay Ops and Fenelon Habitat for Humanity Drop-Off

There is a bin at the Lindsay Ops landfill and a Reuse Building at the Fenelon Landfill to drop off reuse items for the local Habitat for Humanity Store.

Acceptable items include:

  • bulky Items (dressers, desks, chairs, cabinets, bed frames, mirrors, tables, outdoor furniture)
  • houseware and kitchenware (plates, pots and pans, glasses, mugs, utensils, teapots, paintings, pictures, serving bowls, decorative accessories, small mirrors)
  • construction and demolition materials (doors, windows, used wood in good condition, sinks, vanities, tiles in good condition)
  • outdoor equipment (skis, golf clubs, snowshoes, bicycles, rollerblades, ski or snowboard boots, shovels, seed spreaders, non-motorized grass mower)

Non-acceptable items include:

  • electronics
  • mattresses
  • clothing and footwear
  • infant items: (toys, safety devices, furniture)

Bulky Plastic Recycling Program (Lindsay Ops Landfill only)

The Bulky Plastic Recycling Pilot Program has been a great success! We have already diverted over 100 Tonnes of bulky plastics from our landfills in the first year and a half of the pilot. In April 2023, Council approved making the Bulky Plastic Recycling program a permanent diversion program.

To participate in this program, all bulky plastic items should be brought to the Lindsay Landfill for recycling free of charge. Please note, bulky plastic items brought to our other four landfills will be considered waste and regular tipping fees will apply.

Bulky plastics are also accepted free of charge at our four Round Up days each Summer. Check out our Round Up section or check your Municipal Calendar to find the closest one to you!

Bulky Plastics Include:

  • plastic beverage crates (milk crates)
  • plastic lawn furniture
  • clean plastic drums
  • totes
  • empty garbage and recycling bins
  • clean plastic buckets and pails (remove metal handles)
  • plastic laundry baskets
  • plastic tool and gun cases (empty)
  • large plastic flower pots

Things to note:

  • Items must be clean of dirt and debris, and contain no metal.
  • Items must be greater than 10 litres or 10 kilograms capacity (2.5 gallon) up to and including the size of Kawartha Lakes’ largest recycling bin (95 gallon).
  • Please note that the following will not be accepted as Bulky Plastic: toys, tarps, carpet, liners, pool covers, dock barrels, PVC/ABS pipes, vinyl siding, boat wrap, coolers, inflatables or anything that contains metal or electronic components.

Any questions or inquiries can be emailed to your Waste Management Team or call 705-324-9411.

Scrap metal

Bring your scrap metal items to any landfill for free recycling. Accepted items include:

  • bed frames
  • kitchen hood vents
  • desk legs
  • metal furniture
  • metal car parts
  • electric motors
  • cooking pots and pans
  • stoves
  • empty and completely dry metal-bottomed paint cans

Mattress recycling

Mattress Recycling Program

Mattresses are currently recycled at the Lindsay Ops Landfill only. Unfortunately, the program cannot be expanded to our other four landfill locations due to the limited space available at those sites. Therefore, the municipality does not accept mattresses at the Fenelon, Eldon, Somerville, or Laxton landfills.

Residents don’t have to go to the Lindsay Ops Landfill to recycle mattresses or box springs, they can easily dispose of mattresses and/or box springs through our convenient curbside collection program. It’s as simple as following the three steps below:

1)     Purchase a virtual curbside mattress recycling tag online here or in person at one of our Municipal Service Centres.

2)     Call Miller Waste at 1-888-557-4711 to schedule a pick up on your regular collection day.

3)     Put the mattress/box spring out at your curb by 7am the morning of your regular collection day.

For contractors:

If your load contains one or more mattresses you will be given the option to remove the mattresses after the load is dumped and bring them to the Lindsay Ops trailer to be recycled or you will be charged the mixed load tipping fee rate for your entire load.

Thank you for recycling your mattresses!

Any questions or inquiries can be emailed to your Waste Management Team or call 705-324-9411.

Construction and Demolition recycling

The City is currently operating a mixed Construction and Demolition waste diversion program for residents at the Lindsay Ops landfill site. All collected material will be recycled to help reduce waste and extend the life of the landfill. Regular tipping fees will apply. Items accepted may include:

  • Painted/unpainted wood
  • Wood containing nails and hardware (knobs and hinges)
  • Shingles
  • Concrete and rubble
  • Drywall (gypsum) 
Unacceptable items include garbage, hazardous waste, mattresses and rolls of carpet. These items will need to be separated and disposed of in other diversion programs.

Textile (clothing, footwear, linen) Recycling

Textile bins are available to accept donations at the City’s five landfill sites for reuse and recycling during regular landfill hours. Textiles must be in a clear bag, and are free to drop off. Stained and ripped items that are not reusable are ok.

The following items can be donated in the bins:

Clothing Footwear Linen
Active wear
Bathing suits
Bathrobes
Belts/Ties
Coats
Dresses
Hats
Jeans
Pants
Parkas
Purses
Scarves
Shirts
Skirts
Socks
Sweaters
T-shirts
Undergarments
Uniforms		 Athletic shoes
Boots
Cleats
Dress shoes
High heels
Running shoes
Slip-ons
Slippers
Loafers
Sneakers		 Bedding
Blankets
Comforters
Curtains
Cushions
Mats
Oven mitts
Pillows
Rags
Sewing fabric
Sheets
Sleeping bags
Stuffed toys
Towels
Wash cloths

Textiles donated through this program are collected by Talize/Recycling Rewards and brought to a sorting facility. Textiles go to Talize thrift stores where they may be sold or redistributed. Non-reusable textiles are sent to companies that recycle them into upholstery, stuffing, or rags. Items that cannot be reused or recycled go to landfill. Talize/Recycling Rewards has a 98% diversion rate of all materials they accept.

Tire recycling

As per new regulations the City will no longer be accepting tires at landfill sites as of July 1, 2020. Tire producers are responsible for recycling tires. There are many collection sites within Kawartha Lakes which must accept tires for recycling, such as garages and vendors.  

There is a search tool on Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority's (RPRA) website to assist you with finding a close and convenient collection site. For more information, visit their website and type in your postal code to find a collection site near you, or call them at toll free line: 1-833-600-0530

If your business generates tires through your operations, you are required to register with the RPRA as a collection site to receive tire pick up.  For questions please visit the website above or contact RPRA at 1-833- 600-0530

Any questions or inquiries can be emailed to your Waste Management Team or call 705-324-9411.

Round Up Days

All Round Up Events will run from 8am to 12pm

Round Up Dates for 2025:

  1. June 21 - Carden Recreation Centre - 258 Lake Dalrymple Rd, Sebright
  2. July 19 - Rolling Hills Public School - 694 Hwy 7A/Hwy 35, Manvers
  3. July 26 - Bobcaygeon Public School - 30 Balaclava St., Bobcaygeon
  4. August 16 - Coboconk Roads Depot - 2863 Kawartha Lakes Road 48, Coboconk

Here’s what you can bring to our Round Up Day events:

Household Hazardous Waste:

  • Items accepted include automotive products, batteries, paints and solvents, household products, empty tanks and containers, personal care products, products that contain mercury, pesticides and fertilizers. 

Textiles:

The following items are accepted:

  • Clothing: active wear, bathing suits, bathrobes, belts, ties, coats, dresses, hats, jeans, pants, parkas, purses, scarves, shirts, skirts, socks, sweaters, t-shirts, undergarments, and uniforms.
  • Footwear: athletic shoes, boots, cleats, dress shoes, high heels, running shoes, slip-ons, slippers, loafers, and sneakers.
  • Linens: bedding, blankets, comforters, curtains, cushions, mats, oven mitts, pillows, rags, sewing fabric, sheets, sleeping bags, stuffed toys, towels, wash cloths.

Note: ripped and stained items were accepted for recycling.

Bulky Plastics:

  • Items accepted include plastic beverage crates (milk crates), clean plastic drums, totes, empty garbage cans, recycling bins, plastic lawn furniture and clean plastic buckets/pails with any metal handles removed.
  • Items must be greater than 10 litres or 10 kilograms capacity (2.5 gallon), up to and including the size of Kawartha Lakes’ largest recycling bin (95 gallon).

Items that were not accepted for Bulky Plastic recycling: toys, rubber, tarps, carpet, liners, pool covers, dock barrels, PVC/ABS pipes, vinyl siding, boat wrap, coolers and anything that contained metal.

Electronics:

  • Items accepted include computers and all accessories (headphones, mice, keyboards, etc), networking equipment (servers, switches, routers, etc), mobile devices (cell phones, tablets, mp3 players, e-readers, etc), displays (flatscreen TVs, monitors), printers (copiers, fax machines, scanners, etc), audio/video equipment (cable boxes, DVD/CD players, projectors, cameras, stereo systems, etc), small appliances (microwave, toaster, kettle, blender/mixer, slow cooker, coffee maker, etc), game systems, games, DVD's, CD's

Any questions or inquiries can be emailed to your Waste Management Team or call 705-324-9411

 

Choosing between a composter and digester

  • Would you consider yourself a gardener?
  • Do you need soil for your garden?
  • Are you willing to perform regular yard maintenance?
  • Are you able to dig a hole at least three feet deep?
  • Do you want to compost all your leaf and yard waste?
  • Do you want to compost your pet manure?
  • Are you concerned about attracting animals and pests?

If you answered yes to four or more of these questions, a composter is the way to go. You will have access to your own personal soil, full of nutrients and easily accessible.

If you answered no to four or more of these questions, a digester is what you need. You can dispose of nearly all of your organic waste including leaf and yard waste, pet manure, meat, fish and bones. This route requires little-to-no maintenance and will create a leachate packed with nutrients for your backyard environment.

Backyard composting

Why Use a Backyard Composter?

  • keeps up to 30% of your household waste out of landfills
  • easy to use, can be used year round
  • helps the environment
  • compost will help your garden keep moisture in the soil after rain or watering
  • you will have less of a need for chemical fertilizers
  • cost free and chemical free soil enricher
  • provides plants with nutrients such as nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous

Backyard digesters

Visit our Items for Sale page to learn how you can purchase a backyard digester.

Backyard digesters are low maintenance and easy to use units that reduce the amount of food waste you produce, and provide a nutrient rich liquid fertilizer.

A Digester is a large tub sized container with a cap that is set approximately one metre deep into the soil. Digesters use heat from the sun, along with microbial activity to develop a rapid decomposition process. This process produces a nutrient-rich leachate that is absorbed into the soil.  Leachate helps in the break down of heavy soils and helps sandy soils hold more water. The nutrients created through the digestion process are easy for plants to absorb, and less likely to wash away in the rain.

Backyard Digesters can break down food waste, pet waste and small quantities of yard waste. Our digesters do not produce finished compost and do not require harvesting. The use of the Backyard Digester speeds up the decomposition of organic materials such as kitchen and yard wastes, and creates a valuable source of nutrients to your backyard plants while promoting waste diversion.

Why choose a digester?

  • keeps up to 30% of your household waste out of landfills
  • your waste is primarily reduced to water since it is digested, not composted
  • no additional water is necessary; the water enters the soil under the base of the unit
  • does not require additional soil
  • very little residue is produced and no air (anaerobic) or mixing is required
  • works well in small backyards where the goal is waste diversion as opposed to soil building

  • bread, rice and grains
  • fish, meat and poultry including bones
  • fruits and vegetables including peels
  • cooked foods
  • coffee grounds and tea bags
  • dairy products
  • eggs and shells
  • hair and fur
  • paper towels, napkins and tissues
  • soiled newspaper (shredded)
  • sawdust and wood ash (untreated)
  • animal excrement

  • metal
  • wood
  • plastic
  • glass
  • paper
  • straw
  • bulk oil
  • disinfectant, bleach
  • grass cuttings, hedge clippings
  • large amounts of course vegetable matter
  • large amounts of yard waste

  1. Pick a spot that is well drained with as much exposure to the sun as possible, but also convenient and accessible throughout the entire year. Make sure there are no cables, pipes or tree roots present where your hole will be.
  2. Dig a hole 90 cm (35") wide and 30 to 40 cm (12 to 16") deep in well-drained soil. If the area is comprised of heavy clay dig a hole 100 cm (40") wide and 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20") deep. To test the drainage of the area, pour a bucket of water into the hole. If the water disappears in 10 to 15 minutes your area is well drained. If it persists for longer than 15 minutes you may want to try a different spot. 
  3. Mix some soil from the hole with some stones or gravel and/or compost and use this at the bottom of the hole, as well as for backfill once the tub is in place.
  4. Ensure the bottom of the digester is below ground. 
  5. After installation is complete, begin adding kitchen waste, but limit the amount of meat, bones and fish added for the first 4 to 6 weeks. The materials added to the digester should be comprised of 98% kitchen waste, and no more than 2% yard waste (dry yard clippings, dry leaves and plants, dry sticks, hair and fur).
  6. You may choose to sprinkle some Compost Accelerator on your food waste for the first 5 to 6 times before placing it into the digester. This will help build up a healthy amount of bacteria.
  7. The waste should be covered in a blue/gray fur which should start to build up over the first 10 to 14 days. Don't be alarmed, this is normal. Compost Accelerator is not necessary when the fur is present.
  8. No regular maintenance is required. If you notice your digester is getting full and the waste is not breaking down you can try cutting your waste into small pieces, using the Compost Accelerator to speed up the breakdown or move your digester to a new location.
  9. The digester is designed to stay in one place and break down wastes quickly. You should never have to move it, but if you would like to access any finished compost that may be created, this would only be possible after a few years, and would require the digester to be dug up and relocated.

My waste isn't breaking down

You may find your waste is not breaking down fast enough; this could be due to the wrong materials being added (such as too much yard waste) or not enough volume of waste. Try cutting the food waste into smaller pieces for more efficient digestion. There may not be enough micro-organisms present; in this event you may chose to add some Compost Accelerator. Make sure you have a good load of waste to start the process.

My digester smells bad

You may notice that there is a strong odour present when you open your digester.  This is due to the anaerobic breakdown occurring (lacking oxygen), which is a normal process.  Keeping the lid on the digester at all times ensures no smell escapes and no oxygen penetrates the digester.

My digester is attracting animals and pests

In order to deter animals or rodents, you can use strong smelling spices (cayenne, paprika, etc.) surrounding the outside of the digester. If you live in an area where bears frequent, it is a good idea to avoid adding meat, fish, dairy, fruit, or grease during periods of high bear activity. They are also attracted to garbage cans, dirty BBQ grills, bird feeders, pet food, and citronella candles.  You may also choose to add soil or small amounts of pet waste on top of smelly food being added.

Should I avoid certain areas

If you choose to add large amounts of pet waste, meats, and dairy, avoid placing your digester close to your vegetable garden. These materials may contain different products that are unhealthy for human consumption.

Contact Us

Kawartha Lakes 
P.O. Box 9000, 26 Francis Street
Lindsay, ON, K9V 5R8
Telephone: 705-324-9411
Toll free at 1-888-822-2225
After-hours emergencies: 1-877-885-7337

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