Green Cart Acceptable Bags

Updated April 2, 2026

Roadside garbage collection resumes on your next regularly scheduled garbage collection day and week. Check the Waste Wise app or website to make sure it's your collection week.

Roadside organics and recycling collection resumes on your next regularly scheduled Green Cart and Blue Box collection day.

Temporary increased limits will be in place as follows:

Garbage collection, weeks of March 30 and April 6

Residential properties may set out up to four bags, containers or bundles per unit.

Registered Yellow Bag participants may set out up to 12 yellow bags per registered participant.

Registered participants in the diaper waste program should place all clear bags of diaper waste at the roadside on their regularly scheduled diaper collection day.

Green Cart and Blue Box, week of March 30

Temporary collection changes

For residents scheduled on Thursday, April 2
- Garbage: No change. Collection will take place Thursday.
- Blue Box and Green Cart in Sudbury: Rescheduled to Friday.
- Blue Box and Green Cart in Chelmsford, Azilda, Lively, McCrea Heights, Val Caron, Coniston and Wahnapitae: Rescheduled to Saturday.

Please note that this temporary change for Thursday routes will not appear in the Waste Wise calendar.

For residents whose Friday, April 3 collection was moved to Saturday, April 4 because of Good Friday
- Garbage: No change. Collection will take place Saturday, April 4.
- Blue Box and Green Cart: Rescheduled to Monday.

This temporary change will be reflected in Waste Wise.Calendar

Extra organic waste that does not fit in your Green Cart may be placed in certified compostable bags and set on top of or beside your Green Cart in a cardboard box or similar small container without a lid. Do not place bags directly on the ground.

Extra recyclables may be placed next to your Blue Box in a cardboard box or other box without a lid no larger than a Blue Box.

Yellow Box Recycling Carts, weeks of March 30 and April 6

Recyclables that do not fit in your cart may be placed next to your cart in a cardboard box or other box without a lid no larger than a Blue Box.

Residents and property owners are asked to support a smooth and safe collection process by following these tips:

- Do not place waste on snowbanks, sidewalks or in the travelled roadway.
- Keep waste at the mouth of your driveway.
- Put waste out by 7 a.m. on collection day.
- All bags and containers must weigh no more than 40 lb / 18 kg.
- For properties using waste storage containers, please clear snow from the top of your storage container and ensure there is a safe, clear path for collection crews to access it. Waste storage containers that cannot be accessed cannot be collected.

Landfill sites and Recycling Centre
The Sudbury, Azilda and Hanmer landfill sites, the Walden Small Vehicle Transfer Station and the Recycling Centre are now open to all customers during regular operating hours.

All regular tipping and gate fees are in effect. Wait times may be longer than usual at landfill sites. Residents are encouraged to check the Sudbury landfill livestream before heading to the site.

To reduce wait times, residents are encouraged to hold their waste until their roadside collection resumes. Those who do visit landfill sites can support waste diversion by separating recyclable and compostable waste.


Waste services that have not yet resumed:
- Furniture, appliance and electronic collection and pick-up requests are unavailable until further notice.
- Requests for new or additional Green Carts are unavailable until further notice.
- Leaf and yard trimming collection will resume on your regularly scheduled garbage and leaf and yard collection day beginning the week of April 13.

You must use certified compostable bags or paper bags for the items in your Green Cart, and they must be securely tied or closed. 

Do not:

  • place items loosely in the Green Cart
  • use non-approved bags

If your items are loose in the Green Cart or not fully contained in a tied bag, or you use unapproved bags, your Green Cart will not be collected. 

Certified compostable bags and paper bags

You can only use certified compostable bags or paper bags in the Green Cart. You can buy them at most retail stores. 

Make sure the certified compostable bags have one of the following symbols:

The symbol for a certified compostable bag.                         The symbol for a certified compostable bag.

If the compostable bags you have do not show one of the above symbols on the box, you cannot use them.

Do not use

  • Plastic shopping or grocery bags
  • Oxo-biodegradable plastic bags
  • Glad Recycling Green Bags 
  • No-Name Quick-tie Bags for Compostables
  • Super-Sak Transparent Green Bags for Kitchen Organics
  • Quikkie Green Kitchen Recycling Bags
  • Bio-Solo Bags

Download our Green Cart Acceptable Bags Info Sheet (PDF, 601 KB).