Restaurants, Institutions, Apartment Properties and other Businesses
Halifax Regional Municipality has an internationally recognized and award winning solid waste resource management system. As part of this system, blue bag recyclables, fibre recyclables and organic material are unacceptable for landfill disposal. Therefore, a source separation program for these materials is required by law at all commercial properties in HRM.
Property owners are required to comply with provisions of By-Law S-600 (PDF, 63 KB), respecting the collection of source separated commercial waste and are required to provide space for containers. All collection bins should be located in a central area and/or in the same area as the regular garbage.
Property owners are asked to contact their waste hauler to review collection services to include separate collection for fibre recyclables, blue bag recyclables and organic material, as well as a bin for other mixed waste.
Signage Requirements 
Effective November 5, 2007 pursuant to an amendment to Section 12.2 of By-Law No. S-600, signage of sufficient size and number is required to be posted to provide occupants with specific recycling and organics instructions for proper sorting of blue bag recyclables, fibre recyclables and organic material.
The following signs can be downloaded and printed:
In cases where apartment buildings have a garbage chute, a sign must be posted telling residents where to find bins for recycling and organics collection.
What Do I Separate?
IC&I Source Separation Guide (PDF, 627 KB)
Guide for Apartment Buildings - over 6 units (PDF, 4,306 KB)
Blue Bag Recyclables - include glass bottles and jars, aluminum, steel and tin cans, HDPE (#2), LDPE plastic bottles and containers (#1), milk and juice cartons, tetra packs and mini-sip containers.
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Organic Material - includes food waste, leaf and yard waste, box board, soiled and non-recyclable paper, branches and bushes and natural Christmas trees without decorations and stands. |
Fibre Recyclables - include mixed paper, corrugated cardboard, newsprint, magazines, catalogues, flyers, telephone and other soft cover books and paper egg cartons. |
 
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Hazardous Waste
Hazardous Waste Products must be collected by a specialized contractor to ensure safe handling and disposal. Refer to Hazardous Materials - Handling, Storage & Training in the Yellow Pages for more information.
C&D Debris
Construction, Demolition and Renovation (C&D) debris such as lumber, old roofing, gyproc, concrete, etc. must be brought to a C&D processing facility. Check our section on Construction & Demolition Material for more information.
Fat, Oil & Grease
Used cooking oil and trap grease must be collected by a rendering service for recycling. Currently there are two cooking oil/grease recyclers who serve HRM:
Rothsay Rendering - (902) 893-2801
BD Rae Waste Management - (902) 452-8181
Waste Haulers
Work with your waste hauler to ensure you have an effective waste management program. A list of haulers can be found under Garbage Collection and Recycling Services in the Yellow Pages.
Waste Management Facilities
Businesses, institutions, waste haulers and residents can take acceptable waste, recyclables and organics to processing facilities in HRM. Fees may apply. Check our website for hours of operation and materials accepted.
Recycling & Composting Container Suppliers
Your hauler will typcially provide bins for the outside of your building in accordance with the type of equipment they use. If you are looking to buy compost bins or ecycling containers for inside your business, many retailers now carry a selection of containers to choose from.
Check the RRFB Nova Scotia Resource list for other container suppliers.
Other Resources
A partial list of Alternatives to Landfill is found on our website. It includes disposal options for items such as electronics, paint, tires, rechargeable batteries, inkjet printer cartridges, etc.
The NS Materials Exchange is an online marketplace to buy, sell or donate useable materials. RRFB Nova Scotia operates the exchange in cooperation with the Eco-Efficiency Centre: www.nsmaterials.com
Education & Training: HRM Solid Waste Resources staff is available to provide guidance and advice on how to set up an effective source separation program. We also have a variety of brochures, educational pamphlets and signage.
The Eco-Efficiency Centre has many fact sheets on recycling options and program set up information.
Sorting It Out : A Guide to Waste Reduction, Recycling & Composting in Quick Service Restaurants. Prepared by RRFB Nova Scotia.
What's in The Black Bag? Waste Audit Results
A random sampling of commercial loads, at the Otter Lake Waste Management Facility found that 68% of what is being thrown in the trash is actually valuable reusable, recyclable or compostable material. As seen in this chart, the top three items identified were recyclable paper, compostables and blue bag recyclables. |
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Refuse - 32% |
Fibre/Paper - 25% |
Organic Material - 21% |
Recyclables - 11% |
C&D - 8% (Yellow) |
Other - 3% |
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