Resource guide to recycling or ridding yourself of unwanted home items

Finding a good home for your large discarded items can be a challenge – especially if you don’t have a truck at your disposal.

But if you do have items that need to be removed and recycled like mattresses, furniture or other large items – here’s a list of resources (a lot are free!) you can use.

A good place to start to find recycling in your area is at the Recycling Council of B.C. website. The site makes it easy with its RCBC Recyclepedia – answer three questions and the site will pop out where you can recycle a certain material.

Is it really garbage?

The City of Vancouver has a large recycling plan and you can check to see what recyclables the city collects or get a list of how to dispose different items or materials.

Let your fingers do the walking…

Mattress recycling businesses: http://www.yellowpages.ca/search/si-/1/mattress%20recycling/bc

Free Services for:

Big item removal – The City of Surrey will pick up three large items including appliances, mattresses and furniture for free. Tel: 604-635-5478. Most cities have a similar program. Check their websites for info.

Appliance drop-off – Unplugged, the Small Appliance Recycling Program accepts more than 120 small appliances, ranging in size from toasters to microwaves to vacuum cleaners.

Computers – This service recycles computers to be used in school and offers free pick up or drop-off options: Computers for Schools BC

And for those in Vancouver, there’s an extensive guide put together by the GVRD ‘101 Things to Do with all your Old Stuff’.