How to Recycle Metal in Canada
Recycling metal in Canada depends on where you live and the type of material. This guide explains what is accepted, how to prepare it, and where to drop it off.
Can metal be recycled?
Yes, metal is recyclable in most Canadian municipalities through curbside programmes or drop-off depots.
Aluminum and steel food and beverage containers are widely accepted. Aerosol cans, paint cans and scrap metal may require a depot.
Preparation tips
Rinse, flatten if requested, and ensure aerosol cans are empty.
Why recycling metal matters
Diverting metal from landfills reduces environmental impact, conserves raw materials, and supports Canada's circular economy. Many provinces have extended producer responsibility programmes that make recycling convenient and often free.
Cities with Metal drop-off
Below are Canadian cities with locations that accept metal. Click a city to see addresses, hours and materials accepted.
- Abbotsford, BC
- Alma, QC
- Antigonish, NS
- Area B (Bella Bella), BC
- Area C (Cobble Hill), BC
- Area C (Inkaneep/Willowbrook), BC
- Area C (Stuart Lake/Omineca Valley), BC
- Area D (Elaho/Garibaldi), BC
- Area E (Beaverdell/West Boundary), BC
- Area O (Lower North Thompson), BC
- Area P (Rivers and the Peaks), BC
- Ashcroft, BC
- Atholville, NB
- Aylesford, NS
- Baddeck, NS
- Baie-D'Urfé, QC
- Barrie, ON
- Bath, NB
- Bathurst, NB
- Battleford, SK
- Beauharnois, QC
- Bedford, NS
- Beechville, NS
- Belleville, ON
- Beloeil, QC
- Beresford, NB
- Berry Mills, NB
- Bertrand, NB
- Blainville, QC
- Blenheim, ON
- Boischatel, QC
- Botwood, NL
- Bouctouche, NB
- Bowen Island Municipality, BC
- Brampton, ON
- Brantford, ON
- Brooklyn, NS
- Burnaby, BC
- Burnt Islands, NL
- Cache Creek, BC
- Caledon, ON
- Caledonia, NS
- Calgary, AB
- Candiac, QC
- Canning, NS
- Cap Pelé, NB
- Caraquet, NB
- Carman, MB
- Centre Wellington, ON
- Chambly, QC
- Chandler, QC
- Chase, BC
- Chester Basin, NS
- Chilliwack, BC
- Châteauguay, QC
- City of Langley, BC
- City of Moncton, NB
- City of Saint John, NB
- Clarence East, NS
- Clearview, ON
- Cocagne, NB
- Comox, BC
- Conception Bay South, NL
- Coquitlam, BC
- Courtenay, BC
- Cowansville, QC
- Cranbrook, BC
- Creston, BC
- Cumberland, BC
- Dalhousie, NB
- Darnley, PE
- Dartmouth, NS
- Dartmouth - Burnside, NS
- Dauphin, MB
- Dawson Creek, BC
- Delta, BC
- Derby Junction, NB
- Dieppe, NB
- District of North Vancouver, BC
- Doaktown, NB
- Drummondville, QC
- Durrell, NL
- Dysart et al, ON
- East Ferris Township, ON
- Eastern Passage, NS
- Edmonton, AB
- Edmundston, NB
- Elliot Lake, ON
- Elm Creek, MB
- Elmsdale, NS
- Enderby, BC
- Esquimalt, BC
- Fair Isle, NB
- Fernie, BC
- Fogo, NL
- Fort Qu'Appelle, SK
- Fort St. James, BC
- Fort St. John, BC
- Frampton, QC
- Fraser Lake, BC
- Fredericton, NB
- French River, ON
- Gabriola, BC
- Gander, NL
- Gatineau, QC
- Georgefield, NS
- Georgian Bay Township, ON
- Gibsons, BC
- Glovertown, NL
- Golden, BC
- Goodwood, NS
- Gore, QC
- Granby, QC
- Grand Sault, NB
- Grande-Rivière, QC
- Greater Sudbury, ON
- Greenwich, NS
- Greenwood, BC
- Greenwood, NS
- Grenville, QC
- Guelph, ON
- Guysborough, NS
- Halifax, NS
- Halifax - Spryfield, NS
- Hamilton, ON
- Hampton, NB
- Hanwell, NB
- Hanwell Rural Community, NB
- Happy Valley Goose Bay, NL
- Harrington, QC
- Hartfield, NB
- Harvey Rural Community, NB
- Head, Clara and Maria, ON
- Hornby Island, BC
- Hudson Bay, SK
- Ingramport, NS
- Inkerman Ferry, NB
- Inverness, NS
- Joggins, NS
- Juan de Fuca Electoral Area, BC
- Kakisa, NT
- Kamloops, BC
- Kearney, ON
- Kelowna, BC
- Kensington, PE
- Kent Parish, NB
- Kingston, ON
- Kitchener, ON
- L'Ancienne-Lorette, QC
- L'Assomption, QC
- L'Isle-aux-Coudres, QC
- L'Île-Perrot, QC
- La Pocatière, QC
- La Prairie, QC
- La Ronge, SK
- LaScie, NL
- Lac du Bonnet, MB
- Lachute, QC
- Lake Charlotte, NS
- Lambton Shores, ON
- Larry's River, NS
- Laval, QC
- Lawrencetown, NS
- Lequille, NS
- Lillooet, BC
- Lillydale, NS
- Logan Lake, BC
- London, ON
- Longueuil, QC
- Louiseville, QC
- Lower Brighton, NB
- Lower Sackville, NS
- Lower South River, NS
- Lumby, BC
- Lévis, QC
- Malartic, QC
- Marathon, ON
- Marieville, QC
- Markham, ON
- Mayo, YT
- Melfort, SK
- Memramcook, NB
- Merritt, BC
- Meteghan Centre, NS
- Milton, ON
- Mirabel, QC
- Miramichi, NB
- Mission, BC
- Mississauaga, ON
- Mississauga, ON
- Mississippi Mills, ON
- Moncton, NB
- Mont-Joli, QC
- Mont-Laurier, QC
- Mont-Tremblant, QC
- Montcerf-Lytton, QC
- Montmagny, QC
- Montréal, QC
- Municipality of Northern Bruce Peninsula, ON
- Nanaimo, BC
- Neils Harbour, NS
- Neuville, QC
- New Glasgow, NS
- New Minas, NS
- New Waterford, NS
- New Westminster, BC
- Niagara Falls, ON
- Nicolet, QC
- Nipissing Township, ON
- North Cowichan, BC
- North Rustico, PE
- North Sydney, NS
- North Vancouver, BC
- Odanak, QC
- Oromocto, NB
- Ottawa, ON
- Parksville, BC
- Paroisse d'Addington, NB
- Pemberton, BC
- Penticton, BC
- Perth Andover, NB
- Peterborough, ON
- Petit Rocher, NB
- Pincourt, QC
- Pointe-des-Cascades, QC
- Port Alberni, BC
- Port Elgin, NB
- Portage la Prairie, MB
- Porters Lake, NS
- Potton, QC
- Powell River, BC
- Prince George, BC
- Prince Rupert, BC
- Prévost, QC
- Pugwash, NS
- Quebec, QC
- Quesnel, BC
- Québec, QC
- Regina, SK
- Richmond, BC
- Richmond Hill, ON
- Rideau Lakes, ON
- Rigaud, QC
- Rimouski, QC
- Riverhead, NL
- Rivière-Verte, NB
- Rouyn-Noranda, QC
- Saanich, BC
- Sackville, NB
- Saint John, NB
- Saint-Alban, QC
- Saint-Alexandre-de-Kamouraska, QC
- Saint-Charles-Borromée, QC
- Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges, QC
- Saint-Francois de Madawaska, NB
- Saint-Georges, QC
- Saint-Honoré, QC
- Saint-Hyacinthe, QC
- Saint-Isidore, QC
- Saint-Jean-Baptiste, QC
- Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC
- Saint-Joseph-du-Lac, QC
- Saint-Lambert-de-Lauzon, QC
- Saint-Louis-de-Kent, NB
- Saint-Magloire, QC
- Saint-Mathieu-de-Beloeil, QC
- Saint-Maxime-du-Mont-Louis, QC
- Saint-Quentin, NB
- Saint-Rémi, QC
- Saint-Siméon, QC
- Saint-Zéphirin-de-Courval, QC
- Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, QC
- Sainte-Anne-des-Monts, QC
- Sainte-Catherine, QC
- Sainte-Catherine-de-la-Jacques-Cartier, QC
- Sainte-Julie, QC
- Sainte-Marie, QC
- Sainte-Thècle, QC
- Salaberry-de-Valleyfield, QC
- Salisbury, NB
- Salmon Arm, BC
- Salt Spring Island Electoral Area, BC
- Saskatoon, SK
- Savoie Landing, NB
- Scotland, ON
- Seabrook, NS
- Sechelt, BC
- Sept-Îles, QC
- Shawinigan, QC
- Sheet Harbour, NS
- Sherbrooke, QC
- Sherbrooke, NS
- Shubenacadie East, NS
- South Stormont, ON
- Southern Gulf Islands Electoral Area, BC
- St George, NB
- St Stephen, NB
- St-Eustache, QC
- St. Alban's, NL
- St. John's, NL
- Summerford, NL
- Summerside, PE
- Surrey, BC
- Sussex, NB
- Swift Current, SK
- Sydney River, NS
- Tatamagouche, NS
- Terrace, BC
- Thompson, MB
- Thunder Bay, ON
- Timberlea, NS
- Timmins, ON
- Toronto, ON
- Town of Grand Bay-Westfield, NB
- Trent Hills, ON
- Trois-Rivières, QC
- Truro, NS
- Unorganized South Nipissing, ON
- Vancouver, BC
- Vanderhoof, BC
- Varennes, QC
- Vaudreuil-Dorion, QC
- Vaughan, ON
- Vernon, BC
- Victoria, BC
- Wallaceburg, ON
- Waltham, QC
- Wasaga Beach, ON
- Wasagaming, MB
- Waskesiu Lake, SK
- Waterloo, ON
- Waterloo, QC
- Weaver, NB
- West Arichat, NS
- West Kelowna, BC
- West Lincoln Township, ON
- West Perth, ON
- Whistler Resort Municipality, BC
- Whitehorse, YT
- Windsor, ON
- Windsor, NS
- Windsor Junction, NS
- Winnipeg, MB
- Woodstock, ON
- Woodstock, NB
- Yarmouth, NS
- Yellowknife, NT
Frequently asked questions
Can I put metal in my curbside recycling bin?
It depends on your municipality and the type of metal. Use our city and material pages to find accepted curbside items and nearby drop-off locations.
Do I need to pay to recycle metal?
Many recycling programmes in Canada accept metal for free, especially when covered by extended producer responsibility programmes. Some landfills or private facilities may charge for certain items.
How do I prepare metal for recycling?
Common preparation steps include rinsing, flattening, removing food residue, and separating different material types. Check the preparation tips above for specific guidance.