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Recycling Cart Exchange Request Form and FAQ

Aurora is undergoing changes to its recycling program.This page provides further information on the changes underway, including how to request and determine the appropriately sized recycling cart to meet your household recycling needs.   

Beginning in December 2025, each household received a 360-litre wheeled, lidded recycling cart designed to hold two weeks of recyclables and accommodate a broader range of accepted materials.

A Recycling Cart Exchange Request Form was also launched to support residents’ requests for a smaller 240-litre cart. 

To ensure residents choose a recycling cart that meets their recycling needs, we recommend reviewing the below considerations. It is important to note that only one cart exchange is permitted per address.   

  • Bi-Weekly Collection Schedule: Recycling collection service in your community has changed from a weekly to biweekly schedule. The new 360-litre recycling cart was chosen to support current and future volume    on a bi-weekly basis.  
  • Expanded List of Accepted Materials: With advancements in the recycling system, residents are now able to recycle more materials such as hot and cold beverage cups, black plastic containers, frozen juice cans, ice cream tubs, deodorant and toothpaste tubes. This expanded list of materials will increase the volume of recyclable materials generated and collected from households.
  • All Materials Must be Inside the Cart for Collection: All materials must be placed inside the newly issued recycling carts, with the lid fully closed to be ready for collection pick up. Please note, material placed outside the recycling cart will not be collected.

The timeline for first phase of recycling cart exchanges for the York Region Northern Six municipalities including: Aurora, East Gwillimbury, Georgina, King, Newmarket, and Whitchurch-Stouffville, will begin the first week of March and will roll out over approximately six weeks. Residents in each community will be contacted directly for the specific dates in their community.

If you did not complete an exchange request form by January 30, 2026, and would like to request an exchange for a smaller 240-litre cart, please do so using the request form. Requests received after January 30, 2026, will be processed during phase 2 of the exchange process.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  • Residents who confirmed their cart exchange request by the February 13, 2026 deadline will receive a follow-up email from Circular Materials with additional details for the cart exchange in their specific community. For resident ease, the cart exchange schedule will follow the regular recycling collection schedule. Please review the recycling calendar and information for your community.

  • For residents who received a confirmation email from Circular Materials and will be included in Phase 1 of the cart exchange process, please note, on your regular recycling collection day, please leave your standard issued 360-litre recycling cart on the curb at 7am as usual. Following your regular recycling collection, please leave the empty 360-litre cart at the curb for up to five business days after your regular collection day to allow for an exchange/swap for a new 240-litre cart. 

 

  • Please note, cart exchanges will take place from Monday-Friday between 7am-7pm. Therefore, if your regular collection day is a Friday, your smaller cart exchange will occur within the five business days starting on Monday the following week (i.e., exchanges will not occur over the weekend).

 

  • If for some reason we are unable to complete your exchange within five business days of your regular recycling collection day, we will leave a notice at your residence to advise that your exchange will be rescheduled to your next bi-weekly collection week.

All cart exchange confirmation received after February 13, 2026, will be processed during phase 2 of the exchange process. Further information on the second phase of the cart exchange roll out will be provided in the coming weeks.

Yes. If the standard 360 litre cart does not meet your recycling needs, you can request an exchange for a smaller 240 litre cart by completing the Recycling Cart Exchange Request Form. To ensure residents are choosing a recycling cart that meets your needs, we recommend reviewing the below considerations. It is important to note that only one cart exchange is permitted per address.  

  • Bi-weekly Collection Schedule: Recycling collection in your community has changed to a biweekly schedule. The new 360-litre recycling cart was chosen to support current and future volume on a bi-weekly basis. 
  • Expanded List of Accepted Materials: With advancements in the recycling system, residents are  now  able to recycle more materials such as hot and cold beverage cups, black plastic containers, frozen juice cans, ice cream tubs, deodorant and toothpaste tubes. This expanded list of materials will increase the volume of recyclable materials generated and collected from households.   
  • All Materials Must be Inside the Cart for Collection: All materials must be placed inside the newly issued recycling carts, with the lid fully closed to be ready for collection pick up. Please note, material placed outside the recycling cart will not be collected. 

No. While collection frequency changes from weekly to bi-weekly, your pickup day will remain the same. 

Blue box materials, particularly cardboard, must be broken down and flattened to support using the recycling cart space efficiently. 

 A Recycling Container Request Form is available on our website for residents whose recycling needs consistently exceed the capacity of the recycling containers provided and who require an additional container.  

Please note, we recommend that you use the 360-litre recycling cart for a period of 90 days to determine your recycling needs before submitting a request for an additional cart. It is common for a residence to experience significant seasonal variability in recycling needs and increased volume over the holiday period. 

It is important that this only applies to households with a 360-litre recycling cart. A second cart will not be provided for households who have requested an exchange for a smaller 240-litre size recycling cart.    

Starting January 1, 2026, residents are required to use their new recycling carts. Residents can choose to re-purpose their old boxes, such as using them as storage containers. 

Anyone experiencing a permanent or temporary physical disability that restricts their ability to set out their recycling cart at the curbside may be eligible for assisted collection service. Please note, a physician’s note is required to apply for this assisted service. For more information, please visit our website to access the Special Accommodation Recycling Collection Application Form.

GFL is the collection contractor for Aurora.

The RFID (radio-frequency identification) tag on your cart helps ensure your recycling cart is correctly registered to your address. This technology helps prevent lost or misplaced carts, allows for accurate tracking if your cart is damaged or needs replacement, and supports efficient service delivery. The tag does not collect any personal information or track your activities.