The 2012 collection calendar (for garbage, recycling and yard trimmings/food scraps) is now on-line.
View or download Collection Schedules.
A paper copy of the 2012 collection schedule, with recycling guide, will be mailed out to residents in mid-February. Please look for it in your mailbox.
The Vancouver Landfill Annual Open House format for 2012 is changing. This year, the Open House will be focusing on educating students. Elementary schools can book a tour of the Landfill on June 1. Tours are also available to the public on Tuesdays or Thursdays between 9am to 2pm. To book a tour or to obtain further information, please contact 311 or outside Vancouver, 604.873.7000.
Ever wonder where to find the best places to donate or recycle materials you no longer need? Metro Vancouver has launched a free iPhone app called weRecycle to help the regions residents reuse and recycle just about anything.
weRecycle provides mobile access to the same database used by Metro Vancouver's award-winning website, www.MetroVancouverRecycles.org. All you do is enter a material and hit search to find convenient donation and recycling locations. What makes weRecycle unique is presenting that information in a user-friendly Google map.
Finding your closest recycling depot is now at the tips of your fingers with the new BC Recyclepedia smart phone App.
This free app is a quick and simple tool that helps users find over 1,000 drop-off locations and recycling options for over 70 materials or products across BC. The App, available for both iPhones and Androids, provides users a list of the 10 nearest depots, based on your location, as well as a Google map with directions. Both App's provide the option to call the Recycling Council of BC's hotline for additional questions.
To reduce waste going to landfill or incinerator and help create new green jobs, the City of Vancouver is encouraging deconstruction as an alternative to demolition for single & duplex family homes. In addition, to support diversion of demolition waste and improve safety, new rate structures for demolition waste will come into effect as of March 1, 2012. Learn more.
Thanks to everyone who supported the Lions Club Tree Chipping Event on January 7 and 8. It was a great success, raising $12,140 and 422 kilograms of food for local charities. During the two-day event, 3,248 trees were chipped for compost. Learn more.
Effective January 3, 2012, the following NEW rates will apply at the Vancouver Landfill and the Vancouver South Transfer Station:
Learn more about the 2012 rates.
Do you want to compost but don't have a backyard? The City has special worm composters available for use in apartments. Each unit is $25 and comes with a bin, lid, tray, worms, bedding and instructions. An entertaining and informative one-hour workshop at the Compost Demonstration Garden comes with the purchase of your new worm composter. To sign up for a "wormshop" and composter, call the compost Hotline at 604.736.2250. Space is limited so call today. Learn more about worm composting.
Recycle your food - Don't let it go to waste!
If you currently receive the City yard trimmings collection service, you are now able to add uncooked fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds and filters, teabags, and eggshells into your yard trimmings cart for composting. Learn more.
Learn more about the Expanded Food Scraps Recycling Program in your area.
The following take-back programs are now in effect:
Antifreeze: Antifreeze and antifreeze containers will be included under the BC Used Oil Management Association (BCUOMA) program beginning July 2011.
AlarmRecycle: Used or expired smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms can be recycled at depots throughout BC beginning October 2011.
Unplugged (Small Appliance Recycling): Old and broken small appliances (e.g. blenders, toasters, coffee makers, hair dryers, vacuum cleaners) can now be recycled at over 100 Unplugged drop-off locations across the province and help reduce pollution, save energy and protect the environment.
An energy guzzling spare fridge could cost up to $100 per year to operate. If you have a fridge that measures between 10-24 cubic feet* and is in working condition, BC Hydro will pick it up, recycle it, and give you $30 for it!
To arrange for a free pick up of your spare working fridge, please call the BC Hydro Fridge Buy Back Program at 604.881.4357 and have your BC Hydro customer account number on hand.
For more information, please visit BC Hydro’s website.
*Maximum two fridges per BC Hydro residential customer account. Fridge must be clean and in working condition. Fridge size limits: Interior volume of 10-24 cubic feet. Bar-size, sub-zero, and commercial fridges exceeding 24 cu ft typically excluded, please check size.
Metro Vancouver has recently created a directory of reuse and recycling services designed to help you answer the question “Where do I take this?”. The database contains over 1,300 locations within the Metro Vancouver region to donate, recycle or appropriately dispose of those items you no longer want.
Please visit Metro Vancouver Recycles for more information.
The challenge is how to divert more of our garbage from disposal in landfills or the waste-to-energy facility while the amount of garbage we each produce increases every year. Learn more about the Zero Waste Challenge
The City sells backyard composters for $25 (half the retail price) to residents. Buy one soon and receive an aerator (stirrer) at no additional charge (while supplies last). Short web videos about backyard composting in Cantonese, Mandarin and Punjabi are linked on the web page below. Backyard composting at Grow Natural.
Acoustic ceiling tiles, vermiculite insulation and blown-in insulation are not accepted at the Vancouver South Transfer Station (VSTS). These materials may contain asbestos and can be disposed of at the Vancouver Landfill in accordance with the Asbestos Policy. See the 'Suspect Asbestos Containing Materials' section. All other types of insulation, i.e. fibreglass, must be double bagged for disposal at the VSTS.
Instead of throwing your empty cartons of milk (or milk substitutes like soy or rice milk) into the garbage why not take them to a participating Encorp Return-It Centre where they will be recycled. Please note that since there is no deposit paid for milk or milk-substitute containers, there will be no deposit refunded when you take them in. For more information, including a list of depots, call Encorp Pacific at 1-800-330-9767 or go to their website.
Recycling isn't just about newspapers, cardboard and empty soup cans. To find out where you can recycle items that aren't accepted in the City's blue box or apartment recycling programs call the Recycling Council of BC's Hotline at 604-RECYCLE (604.732.9253) or e-mail them at hotline@rcbc.bc.ca. The RCBC Hotline service provides up-to-date information on waste reduction, recycling, disposal and pollution prevention throughout the province. Please visit their website for more information.
