Ask around for "the Belleville dump" and you will get a few different answers, because the honest answer depends on where you live. The City of Belleville runs one landfill, the Thurlow Recycling Depot and Landfill, but only residents of Thurlow (Ward 2) can dump garbage there, and only waste that was generated in Thurlow Ward. Everyone else in the city can use the recycling depot on the same site for free, plus a separate hazardous and electronic waste depot, a leaf and yard waste depot, curbside collection and a paid bulky item pickup.
This guide sets out each of those options: where they are, the hours, what they take and what they refuse. It ends with the question we get on the phone most: what do you do with a houseful of junk or a pile of renovation debris that none of them will take? Everything here comes from the City of Belleville's garbage, recycling and organics pages, checked in October 2026. Hours and fees change, so check the current hours and rates before you go.
Belleville dump hours and rules at Thurlow
The Thurlow Recycling Depot and Landfill is at 1320 Mudcat Road. The hours are short:
- Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Closed on statutory holidays.
The landfill side comes with four rules from the city:
- You must show proof of residency.
- Only waste generated within Thurlow Ward can be disposed of there.
- Only electronic payment is accepted. No cash.
- Garbage must be separated the way site staff direct.
The city treats this as an extra on top of regular curbside garbage, recycling and organics collection, not a replacement for it.
How the landfill charges
Tipping fees are set out in a table on the city's page, tax included. Rather than print figures that may change, here is how they are structured:
- A charge per single bag of garbage.
- A flat charge per load by vehicle type: one rate for a car, utility trailer or half-ton truck, a higher rate for a single axle dump truck, and a higher one again for a tandem dump truck.
- A charge per appliance.
- An extra surcharge on fridges, freezers and air conditioners that have not been tagged by a certified person as empty of refrigerant.
That last one is easy to avoid. Have the refrigerant removed and the appliance tagged before you load it. Our appliance disposal guide explains the process.
What Thurlow landfill takes and refuses
Ward 2 residents can bring general household waste, appliances, furniture, toilets, sinks and bathtubs.
The landfill does not accept:
- Household hazardous waste
- Building materials, including manufactured wood, drywall, insulation and shingles
- Tires and tire tubes, which go to a registered tire collector
- Mattresses and box springs, refused since January 1, 2023
So even for Ward 2, renovation debris and mattresses need another route.
The recycling depot is open to every resident
The recycling depot at Thurlow is free for all Belleville residents, not just Ward 2, and it runs on the same Wednesday and Saturday morning hours. It takes:
- Corrugated cardboard
- Printed paper and packaging
- Plastic and metal containers
- Plastic bags
- Glass bottles and jars
- Scrap metal
- Electronic equipment under 250 kg, such as computers, phones and cables
It does not take small or large appliances, power tools, very large electronics over 250 kg, motor vehicles, children's toys, or textiles, clothing and furniture with electronics built in.
For a garage cleanout, this depot is worth a trip on its own. Pull out the scrap metal and cardboard first and there is a lot less left to pay for somewhere else.
Curbside rules for the rest of Belleville
If you do not live in Thurlow, curbside collection is your main garbage service. The city's collection schedule page explains the rhythm: garbage, recycling and organics are all collected on the same day each week, and everything must be at the curb by 7 a.m. The city's online lookup tells you which day applies to your address.
The garbage rules:
- Every bag of garbage needs a Belleville bag tag. Untagged bags stay at the curb.
- Bags must be tightly sealed and weigh no more than 50 lb.
- Garbage cans must be reusable, no bigger than 77 litres, no heavier than 75 lb, with handles and a secure lid. The tag goes on the top item inside the can, where it can be seen.
- Construction and demolition materials, including wood scraps and sawdust, are not accepted in curbside garbage.
- Organics go in the green bin, latched closed.
- Set everything beside the end of your driveway, not on the road or sidewalk.
Bag tags are sold online through the city's order form, with a minimum order of 10 tags paid by credit card and mailed to you, or in person at City Hall, the Operations Centre and dozens of stores. The city's tag page has a full list and a map.
Recycling is now managed by Circular Materials under Ontario's producer-run system, with collection handled by a contractor. Bins that are not sorted properly are left behind. Missed recycling goes to the contractor, whose details are on the city's schedule page, not to the city.
Bulky item pickup for furniture, mattresses and appliances
Furniture, appliances and other bulky items are not collected with regular weekly garbage. Instead, the city runs a user-pay bulky item collection program all year. For most Belleville households, this is how a mattress leaves the house, since Thurlow refuses them.
How it works:
- Book online, or in person at City Hall or the Operations Centre during business hours.
- Requests in by 3 p.m. Wednesday are picked up that Friday. Items go to the curb by 7 a.m. Friday.
- White goods can be picked up any weekday you choose, at the curb by 7 a.m.
There is a fee per item, in four categories:
- White goods, such as stoves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, barbecues and bathtubs
- White goods with refrigerant, such as fridges, freezers, air conditioners and dehumidifiers
- Large furniture, such as couches, chairs, desks, mattresses, box springs, toilets and large exercise equipment
- Small furniture, such as end tables, TV stands, kitchen chairs, and bundled wood or carpet
Do not just drag things to the curb and hope. The city warns that items set out without a scheduled pickup may lead to bylaw enforcement, and property owners can be fined.
Hazardous and electronic waste depot
Paint, chemicals, propane and electronics go to the Hazardous and Electronic Waste Depot at 75 Wallbridge Crescent. Drop-off is free. The depot is run by a contractor for the city and serves residents of Belleville, Prince Edward County, Quinte West, Stirling-Rawdon, Tyendinaga Township and several other nearby townships listed on the city's page.
Hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The city's page notes closures on December 26 and February 13.
The accepted list is long: paint, stains, thinners and strippers, motor oil and filters, antifreeze, fuel, car batteries, household batteries, all light bulbs, pesticides, fertilizers, pool chemicals, propane and butane tanks, fire extinguishers, cleaners, cosmetics, and electronics such as TVs, computers, printers and phones. Items containing refrigerant are not accepted. Commercial and farm materials are taken by appointment only.
Household batteries can also go to City Hall, the Operations Centre and the Quinte Sports and Wellness Centre. Tape the terminals first, especially on lithium batteries, which can start fires. Our household hazardous waste guide and e-waste guide have more on sorting these.
Leaf and yard waste
The Leaf and Yard Waste Depot shares the Wallbridge Crescent address, on the north side of the Public Works building. Drop-off is free with proof of Belleville residency. Hours are Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., with Wednesdays open until 7:15 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is closed Sundays and on a list of holidays posted on the city's page.
It takes leaves, grass clippings, garden waste, and brush and limbs up to 2 3/4 inches across and 4 feet long. Paper bags are fine, plastic bags are not, and lumber, garbage and kitchen food waste are refused. Contractors can only drop off waste from Belleville properties.
Curbside leaf and yard waste collection runs twice a year across six zones. This fall's dates run from November 3 to November 9, depending on your zone, with material at the curb by 7 a.m. in kraft paper bags, cardboard boxes, canisters or bushel baskets, and brush tied in small bundles. The zone map is on the city's page.
Giveaway Days and donation first
Before anything goes to a landfill, the city would like it to find a new owner. Belleville's Giveaway Days run in spring and fall, with 2027 dates still to be announced. Participating households put clean, working items at the curb marked "FREE" by 8 a.m.: furniture, small appliances, books, kitchen items, electronics and leftover renovation materials such as lumber and hardware.
The rules at the end of the day are strict. Anything left over has to come back in by 8 p.m. The city will not collect it, treats it as dumping, and enforces its Clean Yards By-law after the event. Following Health Canada advice, the city also asks people not to give away or take cribs, car seats, strollers, mattresses, blinds or toys.
Outside Giveaway Days, the city suggests local thrift stores and reuse stores, some of which offer pickup.
Which Belleville option fits your load
A quick way to match what you have to where it goes, using the city's own programs:
- Household junk, and you live in Ward 2: the Thurlow landfill, Wednesday or Saturday morning.
- Cardboard, containers, scrap metal or small electronics, anywhere in the city: the Thurlow recycling depot, free.
- Paint, chemicals, batteries, propane tanks, TVs and computers: the Wallbridge Crescent hazardous and electronic waste depot, free.
- A couch, a mattress or a fridge: book a bulky item pickup.
- Leaves, grass and brush: the Wallbridge Crescent yard waste depot, free, or your zone's curbside date.
- A few extra bags of garbage: tags on every bag, out by 7 a.m. on your collection day.
- Renovation debris or a whole-house cleanout: read the next section.
Renovation debris and big cleanouts: the honest options
Put the pieces together and a gap appears. Construction and demolition material is refused at the curb. Building materials are refused at Thurlow, even for Ward 2. The city's waste pages we checked do not list a public drop-off for renovation debris anywhere in Belleville. Its Giveaway Days page does mention transfer stations within city limits, but none are named on the waste pages, so call ahead to confirm what a facility takes and charges. For drywall, shingles, old flooring, insulation and lumber, your realistic choices are a transfer station or other private disposal facility, where you pay their rates and haul it yourself, or a bin.
For a handful of big items, the city's bulky pickup is good value and you do not have to lift anything into a truck. Use it. For a whole-house cleanout, an estate, or a renovation, booking item-by-item pickups and juggling tags gets slow and expensive fast.
That is the job a bin is built for. We deliver a 10, 15 or 20-yard roll-off bin, set on boards to protect your driveway, with a 5-day standard rental and 1 metric tonne of disposal included. Renovation debris, furniture and household junk go in the same bin, loaded on your schedule. Our rubbish removal page covers cleanouts and our Belleville junk removal page covers the flat-rate bin approach. Mattresses go in our bins too; our mattress disposal guide covers the other routes. For smaller loads, a Bam Bag is rated to 1 tonne.
Two limits are the same as the city's: no hazardous waste, paint, chemicals or propane tanks, and fridges or freezers need their refrigerant removed and tagged first.
Local pricing is on our Belleville page, and our Belleville team is at (613) 743-2467. The same team covers Quinte West, Picton, Stirling and Deseronto.
