Easy, safe and affordable drop-offs
The staffed, self-serve Burnaby Eco-Centre provides you with safe, convenient and affordable drop-off options for over 20 different types of recyclable materials.
Accepted and not accepted items
Mixed paper
- printed paper
- multiple layer paper bags
- boxboard boxes and corrugated cardboard
- moulded boxboard
- gift wrap and greeting cards (paper only)
Mixed containers
- hot and cold drink cups
- gable top and Tetrapak® cartons
- frozen dessert boxes
- steel and aluminum containers, foil, lids
- empty aerosol cans (no butane)
- spiral wound paper cans
- plastic plant pots/trays
- hard plastic packaging, lids
Flexible plastic
- non-food protective packaging (bubble wrap)
- crinkly wrappers and bags
- stand-up and zipper lock pouches
- flexible packaging with plastic seal
- woven and net plastics
- plastic bags and overwrap (compostable bags not accepted)
- squishy cushion packaging (polyethylene foam)
- reusable plastic-only carry-out bags
- plastic drop sheets or covering
- plastic shrink-wrap
Other
- batteries
- propane tanks refillable/non-refillable
- butane tanks
- paint
- large and small scrap metal
- hard plastics (non-packaging)
- plastic foam packaging (Styrofoam™) - residential only
- plastic foam trays, plates, bowls, cups, and take-out containers
- books
- clothing, shoes and household textiles
- used motor oil, filters, containers
- flammable liquids and pesticides
- cooking oil
- antifreeze
- cell phones
- glass jars and bottles
- electronics
- e toys
- small appliances
- power tools
- electric outdoor power equipment
- mattresses
- furniture
- garbage
- grass clippings & leaves
- small branches (up to 4” diameter)
- plants & flowers
- clean wood (no construction waste, plywood or glue laminates)
Things to remember:
- Do not bag or bundle green waste.
- As a resident, you can drop off 1 load per day of up to 100 kg of green waste for free. Charges apply for entire loads over 100 kg (please bring proof of residency).
- Green waste drop off fee: $113/tonne. Fee increasing to $118/ tonne effective January 1, 2025.
- No commercial drop-off from Mon-Fri between 9-10:30 am and 3-4 pm.
- animal waste or carcasses
- treated wood
- tree stumps / branches larger than 4” diameter
- plastic bags and compostable plastic bags
- plywood
- dirt, rocks or sand
- soil or sod
To get replacement blue and grey boxes, yellow bags or kitchen catchers, please bring proof of residency.
Japanese beetle regulated area
Burnaby is now observing restrictions on the movement of plants and soil from the Japanese beetle regulated area. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has designated the Eco-Centre as the only approved drop-off destination for green waste leaving the regulated area. The following materials from inside the regulated area are subject to movement regulations:
- Rooted plants (plants with attached soil) and soil (year-round)
- Above-ground plant parts (e.g. clippings, branches, leaves) between June 15 to October 15 (beetle flight season)
Landscapers bringing green waste (no soil, sod or root bulbs larger than 12” diameter) from the regulated area to the Eco-Centre are required to present a Movement Certificate prior to tipping their green waste. Visit www.inspection.gc.ca/JB to learn more.
Between June 15 and October 15, commercial landscapers dropping off green waste from the regulated area may drop off any time between 8 am-4 pm (including the normally restricted commercial drop-off hours Mon-Fri between 9-10:30 am and 3-4 pm).
For more information about the Japanese Beetle in Burnaby, visit Burnaby.ca/japanesebeetle.
Composters and rain barrels
Composters
Yard and garden trimmings, along with fruit and vegetable peelings, can be composted at home in your backyard. It can improve soil texture and provide nutrients for healthier, happier plants.
You can buy composters from the Eco-Centre for $30 each (includes tax). Price increasing to $31.36 each (includes tax) effective January 1, 2025. Please bring proof of residency.
Download our free guide to backyard composting.
Rain barrels
Lawn watering restrictions are in effect from May 1 to October 15 every year. If you want to give your plants year-round access to warm, un-chlorinated and oxygen-rich water, you can get a rain barrel. Each barrel holds up to 341 litres of water.
As a resident, you can buy one from the Eco-Centre for a special price of $100 (includes tax). Price increasing to $106.40 (includes tax) effective January 1, 2025. Please bring proof of residency.
Our partnerships
The centre partners with various Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs, including Product Care, Call2Recycle, Interchange Recycling (formerly BC Used Oil), Recycle BC, Major Appliance Recycling Roundtable, Electronic Products Recycling Association and more. EPR is an approach to recycling under which Canadian businesses are responsible for reducing the environmental impact of their products and packaging. The centre also partners with BC Children’s Hospital and Diabetes Canada for clothing donations, Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver for books and CNIB to collect cell phones for their Phone It Forward program.