The weekly curbside garbage allowance per residential dwelling is limited to one bag or can per week (20kg or 45lbs is the maximum weight per bag or can). Additional cans or bags over the weekly one bag/can limit must have a blue $3 tag attached to it to be eligible for collection. Tags are to be placed around the neck of the garbage bag or on the top of the garbage inside the can, not on the can itself.

Garbage tags are available for purchase at the following locations. It is the responsibility of each establishment to keep adequate stock levels.

• Metro (A&P), Kozlov Centre
• Allandale Recreation Centre, 190 Bayview Avenue
• Barrie Convenience, 7 Anne Street South, Unit 2
• Canadian Tire (All Locations)
• Express Aid Pharmacy I.D.A., Unit 12 201 Hurst Drive
• Express Aid Pharmacy I.D.A., Unit 15 477 Grove Street East
• Finance Department, City Hall, 70 Collier Street
• Jay's Variety, Duckworth Plaza 
• Jean's Variety, 144 Burton Avenue
• Lucky Cedar Pointe Convenience, 4-A Cedar Point Drive
• Parkview Centre for Seniors, 189 Blake Street
• Player's Card Shop, 20 Dunlop Street East
• Robinson's Hardware, 124 Penetanguishene Road
• Simcoe Building Centre, 140 Ferndale Drive North
• Sobeys (All Locations)
• Variety & More, 336 Yonge Street
• Wal-Mart (All Locations)
• Zehrs (All Locations)
• Holly Community Centre, 171 Mapleton Avenue

• Husky Gas Bar, 118 Little Avenue

When placing sharp items (i.e. broken glass, fluorescent tubing and nails) in the garbage, please ensure that they are wrapped in a protective material, such as newsprint, before disposing of the items into the garbage so they do not present a safety hazard to the collectors. As a courtesy to the garbage collectors, please label all garbage units that may contain a potential safety hazard.

Bulky items such as furniture, appliances, and construction and renovation wastes will NOT be collected by the curbside garbage contractors. Please visit our Bulky Item Collection Page for more information on how to dispose of your bulky items.

Please note that City of Barrie By-Law 85-163 provides for people who illegally dump garbage to be charged up to $5000.00. Help keep Barrie clean and beautiful; if you see someone dumping garbage, construction waste or yard waste (leaves, grass clippings, etc.) on City property please report it to the City of Barrie at (705) 739-4219.

All items placed out for collection must be contained in a standard size garbage bag or can. Garbage cans must have handles.

The City of Barrie currently provides an extensive curbside recycling program for both businesses and residents. Recyclables should be separated into two types of boxes based on the type of material. Residents and businesses are to place their blue and grey recycling boxes at curbside on their regular collection day by 7:00 a.m.

There is no limit on the number of recycling boxes that Barrie residents are permitted to set out for collection; however, businesses are limited to four blue boxes, one gray box and one bundle of cardboard (75cmx75cmx20cms) per week..

The recyclables are taken to an offsite material recovery facility where they are separated and sent to various recycling markets. The materials are then transformed into products that are used in every day activities. Examples of these transformations are provided below:

Take a moment to sort the recyclables as you place them in the box. Doing this saves the collectors time sorting them at the curb or at the recycling plant, which costs time and money. Boxes that are not properly sorted may be left unemptied by the collectors. Please separate your recyclables into 2 blue boxes (paper materials into one box, and container recyclables into the second box); OR grey box for paper recyclables, and blue box for container recyclables.

To prevent debris from blowing out of your paper recycling box please place the recycling box with your containers on top of it. Place lighter items such as shredded paper inside boxboard items or at the bottom of your box to prevent them from blowing out.

The City of Barrie implemented the curbside organics collection program for a number of reasons. The organics program helps extend the life of the City's Landfill, as well reach the Ministry of Environment’s waste diversion goal. The program is designed to help residents manage their waste differently while helping to divert everyday household organic waste from the landfill.

Organic Collection bins are available to single family homes. Please call 705-739-4219 to arrange for delivery of organic kits or components.

Organic collection kits or any of the components can also be picked up at the Environmental Centre located at the Barrie Landfill Site at 272 Ferndale Drive North. Environmental Centre hours of operation are Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm (Landfill hours: Tuesday to Friday, 9am to 4pm). Photo identification proving Barrie residency must be provided to office staff prior to issuance of bins.

Please refer to the Organics Collection Program Fact Sheet for detailed information on acceptable items.

Acceptable items for the organics (green) bin:

• All food scraps and leftovers
• Meat, bones, rice and dairy products
• Vegetables and fruits
• Pastas, breads
• Cooking oils and grease
• Coffee grounds and filters, tea bags
• Microwave popcorn bags
• Dryer lint, dust
• Hair, pet hair
• House plants
• Soiled newspaper, paper towels
• Paper plates, napkins, tissues
• Paper egg cartons
• Fast food drink trays
• Paper cups
• Popsicle sticks, toothpicks
• Wood wine corks
• Wood ashes (cold)
• Dried flowers
• Eggs and eggshells
• Muffin paper cups

Do not place yard waste in your organics containers. Your leaf and yard waste items will be collected by another designated collection truck. Organics carts must not exceed 20 kgs (45lbs) each for collection. If you include any of these unacceptable items in your Organics Cart, the collector will be unable to empty your cart because of contamination and a sticker will also be left notifying you of the reason.

Garbage and organics are collected by a “split” collection truck. The same collection truck will hold both materials however it does NOT mix the materials together. These trucks are split this way to make the collection more efficient instead of having one designated truck for each separated material.

The split collection truck has two separated units for two different types of materials. The collector places the garbage material into one side of the truck, and the organics into the other side. Although it may appear that these items are being mixed together after you spent time separating them, the materials are completely separated and do not get intermixed with each other. 

Organics are transported to a specially designed processing facility where microscopic bacteria digest the blended material and the result is rich and valuable compost. Proper separation of the organic materials by residents increases waste diversion and helps create finished compost of usable quality.

Residents have a regularly scheduled collection day and week (Week A or Week B). The week indicates which weeks your yard waste is collected for the bi-weekly collection months (July, August, December). To determine collection areas please check the City of Barrie's Community Information and Waste Reduction Calendar.

Collection Schedule

Please refer to the Leaf and Yard Waste Fact Sheet for detailed information on acceptable items.

Acceptable items for yard waste:

• Leaves and brush
• Pumpkins
• Grass clippings
• Garden waste
• Bales of straw
• Tree trimmings
• Christmas trees
• Garden fruit tree waste

Yard waste should be placed in a separate container from regular garbage. Please leave lids off containers and boxes open so the collectors can see their contents. Clippings from trees and shrubs should be tied securely in small bundles to permit easy handling.

Acceptable leaf and yard waste containers:
garbage cans; bushel baskets; burlap bags; paper leaf and yard waste bags; corrugated cardboard boxes.

Unacceptable leaf and yard waste containers:
organics carts; blue and grey recycling boxes; plastic bags.

Yes, residential leaf and yard waste can be dropped off at City of Barrie's Landfill Site at 272 Ferndale Drive North. Effective March 1, 2013, there is no charge for the first 100kg of each load. The remainder of the weight over 100kg is $58.00/tonne.

A $6.00 minimum charge applies to commercial yard waste for loads under 100kg. Effective March 1, 2013, loads 100kg and over are charged $58.00/tonne for total weight of load.

If the materials are packaged in plastic bags, the bags must be removed. Branches in excess of 4” in diameter will be charged the regular user rate for waste. Sod is accepted at the landfill site to be composted as long as the soil has been removed. Topsoil or 'clean fill' is not accepted at the landfill site.