Colchester Waste Management Park

The Colchester Waste Management Park is located in Kemptown (Exit 18 off Highway 104).

IMPORTANT!  All bagged garbage brought to the site must be in clear, non-coloured transparent bags.

The Colchester Balefill Facility DOES NOT accept material from outside Colchester County.

• Colchester Balefill and Colchester Compost Facility
• Colchester Materials Recovery Facility
• Tipping Fees

Composting

Composting is nature's way of recycling organic matter and nutrients back into the soil for use by new and growing plants. Food scraps, yard waste and other organic materials are broken down with the help of micro-organisms and turned into compost, a rich soil amendment.

30-50% of household waste can be recycled through composting programs!

Colchester County promotes two ways to compost: residential curbside collection of organics and/or backyard composting. Both ways help to extend the life of landfills, decrease greenhouse gas emissions, protect groundwater and streams, and it turns waste into a valuable resource. 

Compost is available for sale from our facility while quantites last! Residents can purchase bagged compost for $3.00 per bag. Bags are provided, remember to take your own shovel, and wear appropriate footwear and gloves. Compost is also available for bulk sale the cost is $35.00 per metric tonne. There are licensed haulers who have access to our facility, and they will deliver your compost to you!

Haulers Available for Compost Delivery

Curbside Composting

Your curbside green cart is meant for the disposal of organic material only. All residents with green carts are provided with mini-bins for the collection of kitchen waste. Mini-bins should be emptied into your curbside green carts on a regular basis. Green carts are collected every second week in conjunction with garbage.

Curbside

Please note: No biodegradable, no compostable & no oxo-degradable plastic and plastic bags are allowed in the green cart. These plastics and plastic bags cause operational issues at the composting facility. Please keep them out of the green cart.

Green Cart Tips

• Line your countertop mini bin with a paper bag, newsprint or flyer
• Empty your countertop mini bin regularly
• Wrap your food scraps in newspaper or flyers, this will help to reduce the smell and keep away flies
• Place your cart curbside on your collection day, even if it's not full
• No plastics
• No ashes in your cart as this could become a fire hazard

Backyard Composting

Organic materials have been banned from landfill since 1997. Backyard composters do not have to be complicated. You may decide to compost using an open pile, to construct a basic wooden bin yourself or you may prefer to purchase a backyard composter.

For more detailed information on how to set up your own backyard composting system, call the Colchester Solid Waste Helpline at 902-895-4777.

Backyard

New to the Area?

If you are new to the area and building a new house, we can deliver a green cart and mini-bin to your house! You can fill out a green cart application form online or feel free to call 902-895-4777 and leave your name, address, and phone number. Damaged carts can be accessed for replacement or repair by filling out a green cart application form online or by calling the helpline at 902-895-4777.

Call the Colchester Solid Waste Helpline for helpful composting tips! 902-895-4777

Remember: Composting is Recycling too!

Solid Waste - Asbestos and Contaminated Soil

Please contact GroundFix Remediation Services at 902-396-6974 for more information on the disposal of asbestos and contaminated soil.

Colchester Materials Recovery Facility

The Colchester Materials Recovery Facility is located at 185 Mingo Road, Kemptown (Exit 18 off Highway 104).

Hours of Operations: Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:30 pm.

Curbside Collection

Colchester County has a bi-weekly curbside recycling program. Residents must place their recyclables curbside prior to 7:00 am on their collection day. For information on collection schedules and proper source separation, call the Colchester Waste Reduction Helpline at 902-895-4777 or contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Curbside Recycling

Residents must separate recyclables into two transparent blue bags. Bag #1 is for paper products while Bag #2 is for household containers and clean plastic bags.

Why must my Recyclables be clean?

Dirty recyclables contaminate clean ones. At the Colchester Materials Recovery Facility, every piece of recycling is touched by a worker. If it is dirty it slows the sorting process and if not removed, it lowers the quality of the material going to market.

Helpful Recycling Hints

• Paper products must be clean and dry.
• It is okay to leave your papers stapled.
• Corrugated cardboard can be set beside your blue recycling bags. It should be broken down into 3ft x 2ft x 1ft bundles.
• All milk cartons are recyclable, you do not need to remove any plastic, simply remove the caps and rinse.
• Labels may be left on or removed.
• All containers must be rinsed and the caps removed
• Plastic caps are garbage

Enviro-Depots®

In 1996 Nova Scotia developed a Deposit/Refund System. Every time you purchase a ready-to-serve beverage container, you pay a ten cent deposit. When returned to an Enviro-Depot, you can collect your five cent refund.

This program applies to all beverage containers excluding milk, milk products, soya milk, concentrates.

Colchester County has four Enviro-Depots. All accept the above mentioned items as well as used car batteries. John Ross & Sons and Subway Bottle Exchange both accept scrap metal.

Tipping Fee Schedule

Construction and Demolition Materials (C&D)

Organic Materials (Colchester Only)

Recyclables

Garbage (Colchester Only)

Asbestos and Contaminated Soil disposal requests require pre-approval and thorough testing of the material. An application must be submitted and approved before delivery to the Balefill. Applications or more information can be obtained by calling the GroundFix at 902-293-8080 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

We accept cash, cheque and debit at the scalehouse.  Credit cards are not accepted. 

Questions? Call the Colchester Solid Waste Helpline 902-895-4777.