Welcome to the Town of Yarmouth
On the Edge of Everywhere
Emergency Management Organization
The Regional Emergency Management Office is charged with ensuring the safety and security of the residents of Yarmouth Town, the Municipality of Yarmouth, and the Municipality of Argyle, their property, and the environment, by providing for a prompt and coordinated response to an emergency.
Most emergencies are small and localized in nature, affecting a single person or a small group of people. These are handled by the appropriate emergency services organizations, such as the police or fire services.
But when the impact is broader, affecting a large number of people, the Emergency Management Office steps in. Their role is to plan ahead before an emergency occurs, coordinate the provision of the Town and Municipal resources when an emergency occurs, and assist with analysis and evaluation after an emergency.
When there is an emergency, like a bad winter storm, a hurricane, or a fire, you need to be ready to get by on your own for at least the first 72 hours. Are you ready for an emergency? Download the brochure, How to Prepare for an Emergency.
For more information on emergency management, please visit Nova Scotia Emergency Management website.
Local Emergency Management Office Contact Information:
5 J.E. Hatfield Court / PO Box 10
Tusket, Nova Scotia B0W 3M0
Phone: 902-742-8558
Email: emc@munargyle.com or maxs@munargyle.com
Website: Yarmouth County REMO (Argyle / Yarmouth)
Composting
What if your table scraps could enrich the earth and create new jobs? It's happening right now – by transforming organic waste into valuable compost. As part of Nova Scotia's Solid Waste-Resource Management Strategy, we're helping to keep these valuable materials out of disposal sites. That means:
- fewer and safer disposal sites
- leachate reduction (i.e. landfill run-off)
- methane reduction (a global warming gas)
- job creation
- a product to enhance soil (creating stronger, healthier plants)
Learn more about separating your compost from other forms of waste at Waste Separation.
For green cart replacement or repair, contact:
Waste Check
309 Forest Street
P.O. Box 577
Yarmouth NS B5A 4B6
Phone: (902) 742-1312
Toll-Free: 1 (800) 569-0039
info@wastecheck.com
Or place an order through Wastecheck Orders.
Waste Separation
Ever wonder what happens to the things you throw out? Nova Scotia’s Solid Waste Resource Management Strategy includes a disposal ban on items that can be diverted from the landfill and made into valuable resources – enriching our society and the environment.
Everyone, including all residents and businesses in our region, is required by law to sort their waste into proper streams. Every apartment building is required to have a recycling program – with bins for garbage, recyclables, organics (green cart), paper, and cardboard available for tenants to use. In turn, tenants are responsible for sorting waste in their units, and putting them in the proper collection bins.
In our area, you can access curbside collection for recyclables, organics, and garbage, provided through Waste Check. Here's a quick guide to separating your waste and keeping Nova Scotia beautiful.
Compost
You can recycle compostable food, yard waste, and some paper. Here's a full list:
Food
- Vegetable and fruit trimmings/peelings
- Raw, cooked or baked food leftovers
- Coffee grounds, filters, tea bags
- Solid dairy products, cheese, egg shells
- Meat, fat, bones, fish, shellfish/shells
- Bread, rice, pasta
- Table scraps
- Cooking oil and fat
Paper
- Paper towels
- Paper plates and cups (no Styrofoam)
- Paper bags (flour, sugar, pet food, and potato)
- Soiled pizza boxes and fast food wrappers
- Wax paper
- Waxed cardboard (no milk cartons)
- Damp, soiled newspaper and flyers
NOTE: Some pet food bags & fast food wrappers are lined with plastic/foil and are garbage
Yard Waste
- Grass, leaves and brush
- House and garden plant waste
- Branches (3' x 1") – tied in bundles and placed alongside your green cart
- Excess leaf and yard waste can be placed alongside the green cart in heavy paper bags.
Other
- Sawdust and wood shavings
Note: For organic cart repair, call Waste Check at (902) 742-1312.
Recycling Program
We use a 2 blue bag recycling system – one bag for paper products and one bag for containers (glass, plastic and metal).
UPDATE! As of December 1, 2025, the Town of Yarmouth’s recycling program is now managed by Circular Materials, a national not-for-profit organization that is committed to building an efficient and effective recycling system in Nova Scotia.Your blue bags will still be collected at curbside, but you can recycle more items than before. For more information, including the accepted materials list, recycling guide and more, please visit: Click here to visit Circular Materials’ website.
Pharmaceutical Waste & Needles
Please do not place pharmaceutical waste in your green cart, blue bag, or with your regular garbage. Please check with your local Pharmacy for safe disposal.
Regular Garbage Program
The following items are placed in your garbage (clear bag):
- Ashes (must be cold)
- Broken toys
- Empty aerosol cans
- Fabric dryer sheets and dryer lint
- Personal hygiene products
- Pet litter and animal waste
- Plasticized paper and cardboard
- Soiled disposable diapers and Kleenex
- Styrofoam, plastic dishes and cutlery, snack food bags
- Thermal fax paper, carbon paper
- Toothpaste tubes
- Vacuum cleaner bags and floor sweepings
- Wallpaper
- Waxed candles
- Window glass, mirrors, china drinking glasses, ceramics, incandescent light bulbs (please wrap items to avoid injury to the refuse collector)
Electronics Recycling Program
You can drop off the following electronics for recycling:
- Televisions, computers, monitors, and printers (no broken glass)
- Computer scanners
- DVD & VCR players
- Fax machines
- Personal audio/video systems, including car audio systems
- Telephones
- Wireless devices
- E-readers
- Microwaves
- GPS Units
- Video game systems/controllers
- External hard drives & modems
Here's where to drop off your electronics:
Paper Chase Bottle
Exchange Ltd.
10 Hardscratch Road, Yarmouth
Phone: (902) 742-9747
For cell phones, check out Recycle My Cell winding down for drop-off locations.
Collection schedule
The town picks up solid household waste every week from Tuesday to Thursday – with the collection day depending on where you live. Check out the Municipal Collection Services Map at the bottom of this page to see what days that collectors will be in your area. Here's how it works:
- Regular garbage and compost are picked up on alternating weeks.
- Recycling is picked up every week.
- Residential clean-up is collected on your regular garbage day. (There is no longer spring and fall pickup, as these have been folded into the monthly collection).
- Metals and White goods are collected on the last Friday of each month.
- Waste wood is picked up the first Friday of each month from April to November (excluding holidays).
Visit the Waste Check sorting guide page to learn what belongs in each category for green cart, garbage, recycling, and other items. To ensure collection, all of your waste materials should be placed curbside by 7 AM on your scheduled collection day.
Holidays will only affect the collection of your waste if the holiday falls on your regular collection day. Please refer to your calendar. You can downoad a copy below, and a paper copy is deposited each December in your mailbox. Tape it inside your cupboards for easy access! Wastecheck and the Town also post alternate dates on their Facebook pages, and the Town issues notices through Alertable. The schedule is subject to change without notice.
Other Helpful Downloads
