What happens to Guelph’s waste?

Organics

Organic waste from your green cart is turned into compost at Guelph’s Organic Waste Processing Facility and is sold to farms.

Guelph uses aerobic, in-vessel composting technology—it uses less energy and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions than landfilling or taking organic waste somewhere else for processing.

Guelph’s organic waste processing facility can process about 30,000 tonnes a year. Guelph produces about 10,000 tonnes of organic waste each year. Guelph and Waterloo Region have an agreement to process up to 20,000 tonnes of Waterloo Region’s organic waste until the year 2023.

Compost at home to reduce Guelph’s greenhouse gas emissions and waste processing costs

Recyclables

Recyclables from your blue cart are collected by Circular Materials, a not-for-profit that works with municipalities to collect, recycle and return items to producers for use as recycled content in new products and packaging. As of 2025, Guelph has joined these municipalities and our blue cart collection is done by Waste Management and returned to one of the Material Recovery Facilities. Visit the Circular Materials website to learn more about how your recyclables are being handled.

Here are some examples of what the materials in your blue cart can be used for:

• Newspaper is reprocessed and made into newsprint, magazines, flyers, catalogues and phone books.
• Cardboard is reprocessed and made into new cardboard, brown paper towels or paper bags.
• Boxboard and phone books are reprocessed and made into new boxboard, egg cartons, manila envelopes, file folders, paper take-out trays and used in hydroseeding.
• Fine paper is reprocessed and made into toilet and facial tissue
• Steel is smelted and made into new steel to make new food containers, automobile components and other steel products.
• Aluminum is smelted into pellets and made into new aluminum to make pop cans.
• Plastic pop bottles are melted and made into carpets and fibre stuffing for textiles.
• Vinegar and bleach bottles are melted and made into motor oil bottles, solvent bottles, dishwashing soap bottles, liquid laundry soap bottles and new bleach containers.
• Margarine tubs and ketchup bottles are made into plastic skids, plastic lumber, septic tank liners, truck box liners and drainage pipes.

Garbage

Garbage from the grey cart is compacted and transported to a landfill in Watford, Ontario.

Resources

• Guelph Solid Waste Master Plan
• Guelph Waste Management Bylaw (2019)-20392
• Waste Resource Innovation Centre Public Liaison Committee

For more information

Solid Waste Resources
519-767-0598; TTY: 519-826-9771
[email protected]

Guelph Waste app

Use the Guelph Waste app to sign up for email or phone reminders about your waste collection schedule.

Download the free mobile app for Apple or Google devices.