Durham Works

Blue box ins and outs

Not sure where it goes? Let us help you. Use Know Before You Throw to search for information on how to properly dispose of waste items.

Here is a reminder of common household items that can and can not be put in your blue box:

Plastic containers

• Plastic bottles
• Bakery and cookie trays
• Fruit and vegetable containers
• Plastic egg cartons
• Takeout food containers
• Single serve yogurt and pudding cups
• No plastic bags
• No Tupperware-type containers
• No hangers
• No plastic straws or cutlery
• No motor oil containers
• No...

Please don’t use oversized garbage cans

Oversized garbage cans increase the risk of shoulder and back injuries to garbage collectors. These cans easily hold more than the allowed 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of garbage and are difficult to handle, making it unsafe for collectors to lift. Only bylaw-approved garbage cans will be collected by garbage collectors. Each garbage collector picks up from as many as 1,000 households per day! 

According to Durham Region’s Waste Management By-law:

• Garbage cans must hold less than 125 litres (30...

Durham’s first cyclist detection device installed in Whitby

The Works Department is making cycling safer on our roads with Durham’s first cyclist detection device. The device has been installed at the intersection of Bonacord Drive and Cochrane Street in Whitby.

This innovative technology detects when bicycles and other vehicles are present at the intersection, and adjusts traffic signal timing accordingly. When bikes are present, the signal time adjusts to allow the cyclist time to safely cross the intersection. When there are no bikes present, the time is...

Improving road safety along Simcoe Street in north Oshawa

Durham Region has implemented a new Community Safety Zone around the intersection of Simcoe Street and Conlin Road in Oshawa.

The Community Safety Zone limits are on Simcoe Street between Niagara Drive/Selleck Lane and the access to the Campus Ice Centre (which is just north of Conlin Road), in the vicinity of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (Ontario Tech University) and Durham College. The purpose of a Community Safety Zone, as designated by municipal bylaw in accordance with Ontario’s...

You can help stop water theft

The Works Department is asking Durham residents to help stop water theft by reporting suspicious activity around hydrants. The Region has plastic rings to help you quickly identify which hydrants are permitted water filling stations.

The plastic ring contains the Regional logo, identifies the hydrant as a permitted filling station, and provides a contact number to report unauthorized use. Every year, thousands of litres of water are illegally taken from Durham Region fire hydrants. Water theft has...