Junk from a Nanaimo pickup does not ride to one place. Depending on what we collect, a load may be separated into several streams : donation, scrap metal, electronics recycling, composting, and only last the Regional Landfill on Cedar Road. This guide follows each stream to where it actually ends.
As a member of the Recycling Council of British Columbia, we support responsible reuse, recycling and diversion where practical.
Donation comes first
Usable furniture, appliances and household goods are offered to local charities before anything else happens to them, wherever they are suitable, accepted and practical. What each charity takes is their call, not ours, and it changes with their space and season. It costs you nothing extra, it just means a decent couch furnishes an apartment instead of filling a hole in Cedar.
Scrap metal
Steel and aluminum are among the most recycled materials on earth, and the pricing shows it. Appliances, frames, railings, pipe and sheet all come off our loads and go to metal recyclers. There is a whole scrap metal pickup service for loads that are mostly metal.
Electronics and TVs
Electronics travel through BC's regulated recycling program, where the metals, boards and glass are recovered at approved depots. Working electronics in good condition get checked for donation first. Details on the electronics recycling page.
Mattresses
A mattress is mostly steel springs, foam, fibre and wood, each a recoverable stream, which is why the landfill charges per unit to take one whole. Wherever the facility accepts them, ours go for breakdown rather than burial. See mattress removal.
Yard and green waste
Clean green waste composts, and the region prices it accordingly: less than half the garbage rate per tonne. We keep it separate on the trailer for exactly that reason. Mixed or contaminated green waste can need a different route, which is part of why we sort as we load. See yard waste removal.
Fridges and refrigerant appliances
These make one extra stop: refrigerant containing units go to an appropriate facility for proper handling before the metal is recycled, because venting refrigerant is illegal and terrible for the atmosphere. See appliance removal.
What genuinely ends up at the landfill
The remainder: furniture past reuse, contaminated material, shell and composite pieces nothing will recover. It goes to the Nanaimo Regional Landfill at 1105 Cedar Road, open 7 days a week, 8am to 5pm. The landfill is the last stop rather than the first, and on a well sorted load it is the smallest share.
Why the sorting matters
Two reasons. The honest one is cost: recycling streams tip cheaper than garbage, and that spread is part of how our load pricing stays where it is. The better one is the line on the side of the trailer: your junk matters, and where it ends up matters too.
Wondering about one specific item? Ask through the Get a free estimate form below and we will tell you exactly where it would go.