The Solid Waste Facility
The Solid Waste Facility (SWF) is a waste processing facility that Yellowknife residents and commercial contractors can access to dispose of their waste materials. The SWF receives residential waste and organics from the Curbside Cart Program, provides access to blue bins for recycling debris, and also utilizes an outdoor Compost Facility.
The City of Yellowknife encourages everyone to separate all material types prior to arriving to the SWF.
Residents can help limit the volume and frequency of waste brought to the SWF by using the blue bin stations around the City for recycling. Organics can go into the green cart at their home.
Commercial Contractors should separate all debris types prior to arriving to the SWF according to the Commercial Fees and Rates. For an in-depth understanding of separating debris, please reference the Fees and Charges By-Law.
What should I do before I go to the Solid Waste Facility?
- Find out the hours of operation. The residential public access hours are different than the commercial contractor access hours, so ensure that you are looking at the correct hours.
- Use your green compost cart at your residence for acceptable materials that can be composted.
- Recycle at the blue bin stations around the city. These bins are for recycling cardboard, mixed paper, newspaper, glass, tin cans and plastics #1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7. Type 6 plastics are currently not accepted.
- Recycle electronic and electrical products for free at The Bottle Shop Recycling Depot! The Government of the Northwest Territories has an Electronics Recycling Program and an additional Expanded Electronic and Electrical Product Recycling Pilot Project that accepts an exhaustive list of over 500 products, all for free!
- Separate your materials for easy, quick disposal. Household food, food wrappers and typical kitchen garbage bags should be separated from other bulky items such as furniture, wood and construction debris. Separate metal items such as barbeques, workout equipment, pipes and bicycles because those can be recycled.
- Know whether you have special waste. Household hazardous waste is disposed of differently than other waste materials and must be separated.
- Inform yourself about fees and special waste surcharges. Visit the Solid Waste Facility Fees page to find pricing on waste disposal and what materials can enter free of charge.
- Know what is in your waste load and whether it is accepted at the SWF. The gatehouse attendant at the SWF will ask what you are bringing into the facility, so you can be directed on where to correctly and safely dispose of your waste.
For more information, please call the City at (867) 669-3406 or email the Solid Waste Facility.
Residential Public Access Hours to the Solid Waste Facility (SWF) |
| Monday: Closed Tuesday to Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Closed: Holidays Special Hours: Christmas Eve - Tuesday, December 24, 2024 the SWF will close at Noon 12:00 p.m.
Any vehicle that accesses the site for disposal must ensure they are off site for closure at 4:15 p.m. To ensure this takes place, large loads (such as a full truck load, a trailer, etc.) will not be accepted during the last 15 minutes of operation time or after 4:00 p.m.
Closures for upcoming Holidays:
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Commercial Contractor Access Hours to the Solid Waste Facility (SWF) |
| Commercial Contractor Hours: Monday to Friday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Saturday to Sunday: 11:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Closed: Holidays Special Hours: Christmas Eve - Tuesday, December 24, 2024 the SWF will close at Noon 12:00 p.m.
Contractors (i.e. registered account holders) can access the SWF 7 Days a Week, minus Holidays. Any vehicle that accesses the site for disposal must ensure they are off site for closure at 4:15 p.m. To ensure this takes place, large loads (such as a full truck load, a trailer, etc.) will not be accepted during the last 15 minutes of operation time or after 4:00 p.m. Contractors that want to access the SWF should register via a New Baling Facility Account.
Closures for upcoming Holidays:
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Fees and Charges |
| Certain items have tipping fees to be disposed of at the Solid Waste Facility that can be viewed through the Fees page. View the Fees and Charges By-Law to access the entire list of fees for all debris coming into the SWF. Amnesty access may result in some tipping fees being waived for residential waste. Commercial vehicles will continue to be charged commercial rate during amnesty access. |
Curbside Cart Program |
| The City has a Curbside Cart Collection with a biweekly collection schedule for single family dwellings in residential areas for garbage and compost. Should you have a problem with your garbage or compost collection or if either of your carts are damaged/missing, please call (867) 669-3406 or email The Solid Waste Facility. Be prepared to provide the address the cart is registered to and the Serial Number on the cart. Please verify your collection schedule at the bottom of this page. You can create and print off a schedule personalized for your address using the "Get a calendar" button on the My Schedule feature below. You are also able to sign up to receive reminders prior to your collection day using the "Get a reminder!" button. Please note: Under the Solid Waste Management By-law, garbage and compost carts can be placed at the appropriate collection location after 6:00 p.m. the night before collection or before 7:00 a.m. the morning of collection to ensure that the cart is collected. |
Blue Bin Stations and Recycling Depots |
| There are six blue bin recycling depots located across town for the public to use as required. For location information and a list of what to take to the recycling depots, please visit our Blue Bin Stations page. Visit our Recycling page to find detailed information on why it is important to recycle, where to recycle electrical items free of charge, and how to receive cash back from the beverage container program at The Bottle Shop Recycling Depot. Please note: Materials left outside of the blue bins result in additional cleanup costs for the City and are considered illegal dumping. |
City of Yellowknife Strategic Waste Management Plan |
| Our 2017 disposal rate was 1100 kg per capita. That's a high number when compared to the national average of 701 kg/ capita. High disposal rates result in high costs to taxpayers and the environment. The City recently commissioned a Strategic Waste Management Report that outlines key recommendations that Council can consider in order to address our high disposal rate. |
FAQ
Where is the Solid Waste Facility (SWF) located? |
| Google Maps shows the SWF location as across from the ski club on Old Hwy 4. Another option for step-by-step instructions on how to locate the site, please search for the Habitat for Humanity Restore in your mapping application. The SWF is adjacent to the Restore.
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How do I report a messy or full Blue Bin Station? |
| A messy, full and/or overflowing blue bin station can be submitted by using the Click and Fix YK reporting system or you can email the Solid Waste Facility. |
Who do I contact about a full or overflowing garbage bin? |
| You are encouraged to submit the issue with City infrastructure by using the Click and Fix YK reporting system. This will help the City of Yellowknife serve you best and address issues according to priority. |
My garbage/compost cart wasn't emptied, who do I talk to? |
| Residential garbage and compost cart pick-up is on a biweekly collection schedule. You can verify the collection schedule for your address at the bottom of the Curbside Cart Program page. If your cart was indeed not emptied on the correct date, please email The Solid Waste Facility. |
What do I do with my electric lawn mower, TV/monitor, power tool, microwave, fan, lamp, computer, printer and other electrical items that plug-in? |
| You can participate in recycling electronics and electrical products at The Bottle Shop Recycling Depot for free! The GNWT has provided a massive list of over 500 products that can be recycled free of charge which prevents the items from being put into the SWF landfill. |
I have items that can be re-used or salvaged. Why do I have to pay to bring them into the SWF? |
| All non-organic materials brought to the SWF are subject to the current Residential Waste Tipping Fee or the current Commercial Rates according to the Fees and Charges By-Law. These fees are established and cannot be waived despite items being salvageable.
Items that can be considered as salvageable:
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Why doesn't my apartment have a green organics bin? |
| A top priority for the next two years is increasing the amount of apartments, condos and townhouses that are equipped with organics dumpsters/carts.
There are some multi-family unit (MFU) buildings that have an organic (green) dumpster located on their property. This is the result of property managers working together with the City and a local service provider. The City is here to support interested MFU property owners and will provide how-to guides for residents. Please see below for information on requesting a green bin at your apartment. |
Why are there no organic dumpsters by the Blue Bin Stations? |
| The City appreciates residents' anticipation for city-wide organics recycling. We are working to expand the organics collection to multi-family units (MFUs) across the city. The tipping fees for organics is considerably lower than for “regular” waste and we are looking to MFU property managers and condo boards to take the opportunity to rethink how they provide waste services to their tenants/property owners. |
Has curbside recycling been considered by the City? |
| The 2018 Strategic Waste Management Report recommends focusing our efforts on organics diversion and supporting businesses, apartments and condos with waste reduction and diversion opportunities. Curbside recycling requires extensive sorting of the collected materials. |
What happens to cardboard when it is recycled? Can cardboard go in the organic carts/dumpster? |
| When cardboard is recycled at the blue bin stations, City staff haul it to the SWF where it is baled. Loads of bales are shipped down to Edmonton to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) where it is sorted and introduced to the global market. The goal is to separate the cardboard so that the City has a “resource” that can have multiple uses. In the future, cardboard can potentially be integrated into our organics processing. There are also feasibility studies to explore its use and viability as an energy source. Whatever option we decide in the future, the sorting of cardboard is important and we thank those who work to properly sort their discarded cardboard. |
How much of the disposal rate tonnage per capita is from industry? |
| As per the 2018 Strategic Waste Management report, Yellowknife’s 2017 disposal rate was 1100 kg per capita. According to Statistics Canada, the national average (for 2014) was 701 kg per capita. These numbers include both industry waste and residential waste. Industry does contribute to a significant part of this. It is estimated that the Construction and Demolition sector (C&D) accounts for 35% (385 kg/capita). In the case of YK, small businesses and multi-family units are grouped together and contribute for 35% of the disposal rate. Targeted campaigns and economic incentives have been recommended in the Plan to support businesses and industries in reducing their waste. |