Main content of the website

  1. Home
  2. Township Services
  3. Waste & Recycling
  4. Accepted Items and Fees

Accepted Items and Fees

Waste By-Law 2022-08 regulates the Township's waste management system and establishes tipping fees. The full list of accepted items and associated fees that came into effect on January 1, 2023 are noted in Schedule A of the By-Law.  

There are three new payment methods for disposal fees at the transfer stations and Site 9 Landfill. Residents can still pay disposal fees with cash until June 30, 2023. As of July 1, 2023, cash will no longer be accepted. 

PayPal (via QR Code) 
When you arrive at the transfer stations or landfill, the attendant will inform you of any applicable fees for payable items according to Waste By-Law 2022-08. You will then scan the QR Code displayed with your cell phone, enter the dollar value, complete the transaction, and present the attendant with the confirmation of payment. We recommend you download the PayPal app and create an account prior to going to the transfer stations and landfill to save yourself time.

Waste Tags
Waste Tags can be purchased at the Township Office, Holiday Cove Marina, and Site 9 (via the debit terminal). Please check our website for updates on where waste tags can be purchased. Waste Tags are $2.50 per tag and must be purchased in advance and provided to the attendant upon waste disposal.  

Debit Terminal (Site 9)
The option to pay via debit terminal is only available at Site 9 Landfill. The debit terminal is the preferred method of payment at Site 9.

Contractors can still use the billing system for disposal at Site 9 and the applicable transfer stations. 

Please click on one of the topics shown below for detailed information.

Please ask the site attendant or contact the Township office if you require additional information.

Video surveillance is in effect at all waste facilities. Anyone found contravening the Waste By-Law will be subject to enforcement action.

Household waste and blue box fibres and containers are accepted at the following sites at no charge:

For more information with respect to blue box recycling, see the Recycling section. 
All of the Township's sites collect cell phones and rechargeable and single-use batteries weighing 5 kg or less.  There is no charge for the disposal of these items.
 
For more information with respect to the recycling of batteries and cell phones, see the Recycling section.
Diabetes Canada has established drop boxes at the following sites:
  • Crane Lake
  • Healey Lake
  • Woods Bay
There is no charge for the disposal of these items. 
Under the Township's Agreement with the Electronics Products Recycling Association (EPRA), the following items can also be disposed of in the electronics bin located at the Healey Lake, Crane Lake and Woods Bay Transfer Stations and at the Site 9 Landfill:
  • all textiles with the exception of under garments
  • matching pairs of shoes
  • purses
  • linens, towels and draperies
For more information with respect to the acceptance of clothing and textiles, see the Recycling section.

Residents may dispose of wood and construction/demolition materials for work they have performed at their own residence. Materials accepted are lumber, drywall, carpeting, windows, bathroom and plumbing fixtures and materials, siding, shingles, insulation etc.

 Construction/demolition materials are accepted at the following sites:

  • Site 9
  • Crane Lake
  • Healey Lake
  • Woods Bay

Tipping Fee:  Each resident may dispose of 2 cubic yards of construction/demolition materials annually at no charge.  Thereafter, tipping fees will be in effect.  Please see the Waste and Recycling Page for information on tipping fees in effect.

Construction/demolition materials from residents only are also accepted at the following island sites:

  • Devil's Elbow*
  • Sheep Head*

*Tipping Fee:  Each resident may dispose of 1 (one) cubic yard of construction/demolition materials annually at no charge.  Thereafter, tipping fees will be in effect.  Please see the Waste and Recycling Page for information on tipping fees in effect.

 
Please see the Contractor's section for materials and tipping fees applicable to contractors.

The Township of The Archipelago is an Electronic Products Recycling Association (EPRA) authorized electronics collector.  EPRA is an industry-led, not-for-profit organization that operates the regulated electronics recycling program across Canada, ensuring that end-of-life electronics are handled in a safe, secure and environmentally-sound manner.

As the Township is an approved collector with EPRA, both Township residents and non-residents may dispose of acceptable electronics for recycling at the sites listed below.

Household electronics are collected and diverted from the waste stream, free of charge, at the following sites:

  • Site 9
  • Crane Lake
  • Healey Lake
  • Woods Bay

There is no charge for the disposal of electronic waste.

For more information with respect to electronic waste, see the Recycling section.
The Township of The Archipelago has an Agreement with the Town of Parry Sound for Archipelago residents to dispose of household hazardous waste at the Town's hazardous waste depot located at its MacFarlane Street transfer station.  There is no charge for the disposal of these items.
 
Please see the Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) for more information.
 
Large/bulky household items such as furniture, appliances etc. are accepted at the following sites:
  • Site 9
  • Crane Lake
  • Healey Lake
  • Devil's Elbow
  • Sheep Head
  • Woods Bay (Please note that the wood/furniture bin has been removed for the winter months effective November 14th, 2022.  Ratepayers may use the Healey Lake Transfer Station for disposal of these items.)

Fees are in effect for large appliances and bulk items as set by the Township's Waste By-Law 22-08. Fees are:

  • A $20 fee/unit for furniture (sofas, beds, mattresses, dressers, etc.)
  • A $30.00 fee that will be charged for the removal of refrigerant or other inert gasses from appliances, where applicable, which are deemed to be harmful to the environment
  • No charge for disposal of metal stoves, dryers, refrigerators tagged, etc. (other than the fee to remove refrigerant or other inert gasses as noted above)


Payment of the fees must be submitted to the site attendant prior to disposal of the item. 

For more information with respect to the acceptance of large items and large item days, see the Large Item Disposal section.
Ratepayers replacing dock structures are encouraged to responsibly dispose of or recycle their old docks.  
 
Docks destined for disposal can be dismantled into manageable sized pieces and disposed of at the Devil's Elbow, Sheep Head, Crane or Healey Lake transfer sites in the southern portion of the Township, as well as the Site 9 Landfill site in the north Archipelago.  The containers for the disposal of dock materials are generally in place during the summer construction season, while materials are accepted year round at Site 9. 
 
The dock's construction materials must be separated (metal, wood, foam etc.) prior to disposal.  Contractors are not permitted to use transfer sites for this purpose and must make other arrangements for disposal.
 
The Township does not provide pickup and disposal services for old docks, including those abandoned.  Township Council is aware that there are issues surrounding abandoned docks and is proactively tackling this. If you encounter a navigational issue with an abandoned dock, you are encouraged to report it to the responsible authority (OPP, Coast Guard/DFO). 
 
See below for more information regarding abandoned docks.

Abandoned Docks

Over the years, more and more old docks are being seen pulled up on the shorelines of our inland lakes and along the Georgian Bay coastline.  It makes sense that owners have had to replace docks; things just deteriorate over time.  Most property owners have broken down their old docks and re-purposed what they could, removing the remaining bits from the shoreline.

Unfortunately, some property owners have just pulled their old docks into bays and have abandoned them. These docks create potential navigational issues.  Not least, they are unsightly in our otherwise beautiful environment.

Property owners are responsible for the safe disposal of their old docks.  We ask that our residents and associations identify docks that appear to be abandoned; create a pictorial inventory; talk with surrounding property owners to clarify the status of the docks; and, when it is clear that a dock is truly abandoned, assist each other in finding a way to remove the dock from our waterways.

In 2021,with support from Township Council,  our Lake Associations started Wayward Dock Days whereby residents could tow such docks to a central location and The Archipelago would arrange pickup and disposal of them   Please contact your Lake Association for more information about future dates.

Thank you for your consideration and assistance.

Boat shrink wrap is no longer accepted through the municipal waste stream.  Commercial operations wishing to dispose of boat shrink wrap should contact Switch Energy Corp. at 519-588-6303 or Waste Connections Bracebridge at 705-645-4453.  Both services partner with the Clean Marine Boating Ontario program.  Residents looking to dispose of personal boat shrink wrap should contact their local marina for disposal options.

The re-use program is back starting Monday, July 26, 2021!

All re-use items must be approved by the site attendant.  Re-use items are accepted at the following sites:

  • Site 9
  • Crane Lake
  • Healey Lake
  • Woods Bay
  • Devil's Elbow
  • Sheep Head
For more information with respect to the acceptance of re-use items, see the Recycling section.
Scrap metal is accepted at no charge at the following sites:
  • Site 9
  • Crane Lake
  • Healey Lake
  • Devil's Elbow
  • Sheep Head
  • Woods Bay (Please note the the scrap metal bin has been removed for the winter months effective November 14th, 2022.  Ratepayers may use the Healey Lake Transfer site to dispose of these items.)

Effective January 1, 2019, new Provincial regulation made tire producers directly responsible and accountable for meeting mandatory collection and recycling targets for used tires.  As a result, the Township of The Archipelago does not collect used tires.  For more information regarding tire recycling in the Province, please visit the Resource Productivity and Recovery Authority (RPRA) website.

Residents may dispose of used tires at the following locations:

1.    At the retail facility where the tires were purchased.

2.    At a Provincially approved collection site.  To find a collection site in the Parry Sound area, please visit the  RPRA website.

Should you have any questions, please email Lisa Voortman, Environmental Services Coordinator.

Residents and contractors may dispose of chippable wood and brush at the Site 9 Landfill site at a tipping fee of $15.00 per cubic yard.