Apartments, condos, and townhomes

Important information Food scraps are banned by both the City of Vancouver and Metro Vancouver regional district from disposal as garbage.

That means all food scraps – raw and cooked food, plate scrapings, leftovers, expired food, meat, bones, and dairy products – need to be recycled.

Recycling food scraps reduces garbage and greenhouse gases, and creates compost for local agriculture.

Hire a private hauler or compost food scraps on-site

• Ask your current garbage hauler if they collect food scraps or yard trimmings.
• Find a food scraps hauler and get helpful screening questions.

Get resources to start a collection program

Visit Metro Vancouver’s website External website, opens in new tab for how-to guides, tips, posters, and signs.

Waste Management services most multi-unit buildings in Vancouver. Some are serviced by GFL Environmental (formerly Smithrite Disposal Ltd).

Confirm your building’s service provider by:

• Entering your address at Recycle BC External website, opens in new tab
• Downloading the Recycle BC app External website, opens in new tab

Vancouver's recycling program

Since 2014, our recycling collection program has been partially funded by Recycle BC. In November 2015, we made the decision to allow Recycle BC to fully fund and provide recycling collection services for Vancouver residents.

In October 2016, Recycle BC took on full responsibility for Vancouver’s recycling program and the City ended our term as their contracted service provider.

About Recycle BC

Recycle BC (formerly Multi-Material BC) is a non-profit organization that is responsible for residential recycling in British Columbia.

• Learn more about Recycle BC External website, opens in new tab​
• Download the Recycle BC app External website, opens in new tab​

Selecting a different service provider

If you select a different service provider, note the following.

• You will be opting out of the Recycle BC program and your recycling costs will not be offset by Recycle BC.
• You will be responsible for negotiating rates and contract terms with any new service provider.
• You will need new recycling carts, for which there may be a fee.
• Your existing carts will be retrieved by Recycle BC, their service provider, or by the City of Vancouver.
• Your new hauler may use a different sorting system and collect different materials. It is your responsibility to ensure their services meet your needs.
• You will need to notify your current service provider of the change.

Important information Under our Solid Waste Bylaw, every property in Vancouver must have a recycling program in place.

We collect garbage in wheeled garbage carts from a small number of multi-unit residential buildings.

Currently, we are not accepting new customers for this service.

We do not offer garbage dumpster rental service.

Factors to consider before choosing a collection service provider for your building

If your building requires a new collection service provider, here are some tips and suggestions to consider:

• Review the list of private haulers who provide garbage collection service in Vancouver PDF file (134 KB)
• Make changes to improve waste diversion in your building. Our waste audits show that recyclables and food scraps are still being disposed of into the garbage stream.
• Review resources for managing waste at your building in the section below which can help you encourage residents to divert useful materials away from the garbage.
• Estimate how much storage you will need.
  • Review the set of guidelines PDF file (952 KB) to learn strategies and requirements to meet our garbage and recycling regulations.

Questions to ask before choosing a garbage hauler

Collection capacity and flexibility

• How much container capacity and collection frequency will you need?
• Is there flexibility to change:
  • Frequency of collection
  • Container sizes and quantities
  • Types of material collected

Information icon Ask for flexibility in container sizes and collection frequency during the first few months of your garbage collection service and certain times of the year (like summer) when you might collect less garbage and more food scraps.

Fees

• What does the fee include?(Example: types of service provided, frequency of service, and the type of containers provided)
• Replacing missing or broken bins?
• Requesting an additional unscheduled pickup?

Container type, care, and placement

• What type of containers are offered for garbage? (Example: carts, dumpsters, split bins)
• Are containers periodically washed? If yes, how often and what is the cost?
• Is odour control provided for the containers?
• Are containers lined with bags?
• Where would the containers get placed?
  • If outdoors, are they locked to prevent others from using them?
  • If it's on a City street or lane, have you considered the extra costs for a permit to store containers on City property?

Accepted items for collection

• What garbage items are accepted and unaccepted?
• What happens when there is a contaminated load with unaccepted items?

Reporting

• What happens to the garbage after it is collected?
• Does the hauler periodically provide a report indicating the amount of waste disposed?

Additional services

• Does the hauler include or charge extra for:
  • Carry-out or jitney service (where the driver enters the building to carry out the containers for collection)?
  • Educational materials and support for residents (posters, pamphlets, presentations, or training sessions)?

• Green Bin poster - It's easy to recycle food scraps PDF file (455 KB)
• Green Bin poster - What goes in the Green Bin PDF file (591 KB)
• Green Bin poster - No plastic bags PDF file (128 KB)
• Green Bin FAQs for building managers PDF file (58 KB)
• Letter to residents template for building managers Word file (35 KB)

If your building is one of the few serviced by the City, you can order garbage and green bins, change the bin size, exchange or repair damaged bins, and find suggested sizes for your needs. 

Get details on:

• Green bins
• Garbage bins
• Annual flat rates for multi-unit pickup