Blue Box Recycling
Canada Post Community Mailboxes
Canada Post community mailboxes belong to and are maintained by Canada Post.
Following discussions with Canada Post, Markham will be removing blue boxes from all community mailbox sites before the end of 2025. Canada Post recommended this step so they can resume full responsibility for site maintenance, including the clean-up of mail-related litter and waste.
Markham supports this direction, as ongoing issues such as contamination from pet waste and illegal dumping have made it difficult to properly recycle materials collected in these bins. The community mailbox recycling program will therefore be discontinued, blue boxes will not be replaced, and new requests are no longer being accepted.
What you need to know:
- To report mail-related litter, contact Canada Post at 1-866-607-6301 or canadapost.ca/support
- To report illegal dumping of household, contact Markham at 905-477-5530 or customer service@markham.ca
- Community Mailboxes
Bring It Home
Be a good neighbour and bring home all your mail including those unwanted advertising flyers. They simply go in your blue box for recycling, not on the ground.
Flyers left behind, stuffed in between mailboxes or on the ground creates litter that makes its way onto your streets and into your parks. Although, community mailboxes are owned and managed by Canada Post, picking up street and park litter is done by City staff and dedicated residents. Reducing litter reduces waste going to the landfill.
Consumers’ Choice
If you are currently using the blue boxes at your community mailbox, indicates you do not want advertising flyers. Canada Post can help!
To stop receiving unaddressed advertising mail, you can participate in Canada Post's Consumer Choice Program:
- Simply place a small note in your mailbox “No Flyers Please”
- Still getting flyers? Submit a request to Canada Post.
Even if you choose to be part of the Consumers’ Choice program, you will still receive:
- Government mailings – public interest newsletters, service alerts
- Materials from Elections Canada, provincial/territorial chief electoral officers and municipal election officials (or the deputy returning officer), including material from political parties and electoral candidates during an election
- Any addressed mail, including addressed advertising materials – such as Costco membership flyers
- Community newspapers (without commercial inserts/enclosures) – only inserts in the public interest are acceptable
Learn more about the Consumers' Choice program.
Go Green, Go Digital!
Download your favorite digital flyers online so you can skip the paper flyers piling up in your mailbox.
Find all your favourite deals—anytime, anywhere. No paper. No clutter. No hassle.
Going digital means saying no to paper flyers and reducing the waste in your mailbox.
Some examples of digital flyers and ads:
Ready to go green at your mailbox? It’s easy and it’s your choice!
Make the switch to paperless and stop receiving unwanted ad-mail altogether by placing a note inside your mailbox or submit a request to Canada Post.Canada Post Maintenance
Canada Post is also responsible for clearing the snow around the mailboxes and making them accessible.
If you have an issue to report about your community mailbox, including snow clearing activities, contact Canada Post:
- Canadapost.ca/support
- 1-866-607-6301
Blue Box Transition January 1, 2026
Effective January 1, 2026, responsibility for Markham’s Blue Box program will transfer from the City to Producers under Ontario’s new common collection system. Community mailbox locations are not included as eligible blue box collection points under this new system.
As a result, the Markham’s community mailbox recycling program will be discontinued, and all blue boxes at these sites will be removed before the end of 2025. The bins will not be replaced, and new requests are no longer being accepted.
- Blue Box Guidelines
Collection
Blue box material is collected every week on your regular collection day.
Place your blue box at the curb by 7 AM on your collection day or after 7 PM the night before.
Reminders:
- Do not bag. Items must be loose in your blue box; bagged material can not be recycled.
- Plastic bags and Styrofoam are not accepted in the blue box. Recycle them at any Markham Recycling Depot for recycling
Prevent your blue box material from becoming litter
High winds can be challenging at the curb, knocking over bins, blowing recyclables into the streets, and ending up in the parks.
Follow these windy day tips:
- Put your blue box out in the morning of your collection day, not the night before.
- Don't overload; keep material below the rim; stack blue boxes if possible.
- Bundle newspapers and place them on top of the lighter items.
- Flatten and bundle small cardboard boxes (e.g., cereal, tissue boxes)
- Write your address on your blue boxes in permanent marker — this makes it easier for them to be returned if they blow away
Common items accepted in the blue box:
- All glass bottles, jars, jugs
- All paper products
- All plastic food trays, containers
- All plastic jugs, jars, bottles (#1-7)
- Aluminum foil/trays/plates/packets
- Cans
- Cardboard (bundled 2’x2x’x1’)
- Drink boxes/cartons
- Egg carton (paper/plastic)
- Milk cartons
- Paint cans (empty, lids removed)
- Spiral bound containers (chip can)
- Water bottles
- Yogurt containers (clean)
What Happens to my Blue Box Material?
The Region of York processes Markham's recyclable material. Find out what happens to your recycling once it leaves your curb.
- Unaccepted Material
Some items are recyclable but not in curbside blue box, see below where to drop off.
Markham Recycling Depot:
- Batteries
- Electronics
- Styrofoam - Learn more about Styrofoam recycling.
- Plastic grocery bags, bubble wrap, milk pouches
- Textiles - also at a Markham textile donation bin located across the City
- Metal pans
York Region's Hazardous Waste & Electronics Depot (HHW):
- Motor oil, transmission or brake fluid containers
- Paint, cleaners, soaps
Clear bag garbage:
- Plastic cutlery, drinking straws, coffee cup lids
- Broken plastic toys or lawn furniture - donate items in good condition
- Wax paper
Other problem items:
- Shredded paper - green bin
- Get a Blue Box
You can buy blue boxes at any Markham Recycling Depot.
Exchange Policy
Broken or damaged Markham-branded blue boxes can be exchanged at the Markham Recycling Depots only. $5.50 fee applies. Kitchen containers cannot be exchanged.
Blue boxes are also available for purchase at these locations: (No exchanges)
- Community Centres
- Angus Glen Community Centre
- Centennial Community Centre
- Milliken Mills Community Centre
- Thornhill Community Centre
80 litres - $17.50 (prices effective Jan. 1, 2025)
Payment
Recycling Depots and Community Centres accept cheques or debit/credit cards.
The Civic Centre accepts cheques, debit/credit cards and cash.