Vancouver Landfill and Recycling Depot

COVID-19: recycling and disposal facilities

Free compost event in May cancelled

Our free compost event in May is cancelled to discourage non-essential travel and help reduce the spread of COVID-19. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Ensuring health, safety, and continued operations

Visit our facilities ONLY if absolutely necessary; if you are unwell stay home
If you visit our facilities, wash your hands before and after your visit and keep 2 m (6 ft) away from staff and other guests
Defer spring cleaning to help prevent overloading residential waste collection and depot facilities
Follow disposal guidelines for garbage and organic waste
Store bulky and recyclable items at home until the pandemic is over

Changes at our facilities

Access is restricted to respect physical distancing so expect delays
Walk-ins not permitted (vehicles only)
Suspended/cancelled:
- Landfill open house
- Landfill tours
We are accepting new drywall again at the Vancouver South Transfer Station and Vancouver Landfill
Compost is available for sale at the Vancouver Landfill
- You must bring your own shovel and use one of the stations set up for self collection
- Staff can help load customers who have trucks and trailers

The Vancouver Landfill serves residential and commercial customers from Metro Vancouver for final disposal of their garbage.

The landfill also has a recycling area for residents to drop off a wide range of recyclable materials, many of which are accepted for free.

Landfill location

Address

5400 72nd St
Delta, BC, V4K 3N3

Need help with directions?

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Hours of operation

Days	Hours
Monday to Friday	7:30am to 6pm
Saturday and Sunday	8am to 6pm
Christmas Day, New Year's Day	Closed
All other statutory holidays unless otherwise noted	8am to 6pm

Free disposal program discontinued

To better align with our vision to become a zero waste community by 2040, we have permanently discontinued our free disposal program in the spring and fall at the Vancouver Landfill.

Look for opportunities to reduce your waste by reusing, sharing, repairing, and recycling materials. Learn more at Zero Waste.

Materials accepted and fees

Material	Rate	Details
Garbage, up to 1 tonne	$151 / tonne	Minimum fee: up to 132.45 kg $25 weekdays, 10am – 2pm excluding statutory holidays (weekday holidays in lieu are subject to regular fees); up to 66.225 kg $15 all other days and times Maximum fee: $134 (for 851 kg and above) Transaction fee: $5 / load (included in minimum and maximum fees)
Garbage, 1 to 9 tonnes	$129 / tonne	Maximum fee: $932 (for 7.186 tonnes and above) Transaction fee: $5 / load (included in maximum fee)
Garbage, 9 tonnes or more	$103 / tonne	Transaction fee: $5 / load (included in maximum fee)
Garbage requiring special handling (nuisance waste)	Garbage rate or $250 / tonne if burial is needed	Minimum burial fee: $55 (includes transaction fee: $5) Pre-approval required, use waste assessment form online Materials accepted as nuisance waste
Used residential drywall (gypsum), delivered by resident	$200 / tonne	Minimum fee: $15 (includes $5 transaction fee) (up to 50 kg) Transaction fee: $5 / load (included in minimum fee) Maximum accepted: 10 bags per day, 5 days per year Packaging requirements apply, see drywall policy Used drywall from businesses and contractors is not accepted
Asbestos waste, delivered by resident, 10 bags or less	$200 / tonne	See the asbestos policy for packaging requirements Minimum fee: $15 (includes $5 transaction fee) (up to 50 kg) Transaction fee: $5 / load
All other asbestos waste	$250 / tonne, $50 minimum	See asbestos policy for notification and packaging requirements Minimum fee: $55 (includes $5 transaction fee) (up to 200 kg) Transaction fee: $5 / load
Asbestos waste, commercial	$250 / tonne, $55 minimum	See asbestos policy for notification, packaging, and documentation requirements Transaction fee: $5 / load Used drywall with asbestos is not accepted from businesses or contractors.
Construction and demolition waste	$90 / tonne	Minimum volume: 50 m3 (tandem or tridem trailer) Materials accepted Soil from businesses and contractors is not accepted for disposal.
Wood waste (finished)	$80 / tonne	Minimum fee: $10 (up to 130 kg) Maximum accepted: 3 tonnes Includes solid wood, lumber, pallets and wood with glue (plywood, particle board, oriented strand board, laminated wood) Wood can be painted, stained or treated (other than with creosote)
Clean, unfinished wood waste	$80 / tonne	Minimum fee: $10 (up to 130 kg) Maximum accepted: 3 tonnes Includes solid wood, lumber, or pallets that do not contain glue and have not been painted, stained, or treated
Yard trimmings	$80 / tonne	Minimum fee: $10 (up to 130 kg) Includes grass, leaves, and branches (up to 45cm diameter and 2.6m long) Materials accepted Sod and soil, and plastic bags (even those labelled "biodegradable" or "compostable") are not accepted as yard trimmings
Food waste	$100 / tonne	Minimum fee $10 (up to 100 kg) Includes mixed food and yard waste
Mattresses	$15 / piece	Maximum accepted: 8 pieces Includes mattresses of all types (foam, futon, box springs) Recycling mattresses with bedbugs or more than 8 pieces
New drywall (gypsum)	$150 / tonne	Minimum fee: $15 Transaction fee: $5 / load (included in minimum fee) Declaration and acknowledgement form required, see drywall policy
Compost for purchase	$8 / cubic meter	Minimum fee: $5

The complete tipping fee details are found in Solid Waste By-law No. 8417.

How your total fee is calculated

We take the following steps to calculate your disposal fee:

When you arrive, staff ask what items you are dropping off and weigh your vehicle.
You dispose of your items.
Staff weigh your vehicle again, and calculate the weight of the disposed items based on the difference.
You pay your fees before leaving.

Materials accepted for free recycling

Recycling drop-off at landfill is for residential customers only.

NEW: Aerosol paint and empty containers

Antifreeze and empty antifreeze containers

Books

Cardboard (flatten)

Cell phones

Clothing and textiles, including reusable bags (items must be clean and dry)

Cooking oil and grease (maximum 10 L per day)

Electronics, small appliances, and power tools (maximum 5 large items)

NEW: Flammable liquids

Foam packaging (Styrofoam) - no foam peanuts

Glass bottles and jars

Household batteries

Large appliances (refrigerators, freezers, air conditioners)

Lawnmowers - electric, battery, or gas-powered (drain gasoline and oil before recycling)

Lead acid car and truck batteries

Metal containers (cans, tins, foil, empty aerosol cans excluding spray paint cans)

Other flexible plastic packaging

NEW: Paint and empty paint cans

Paper containers (tetra-packs, coffee cups)

NEW: Pesticides

Plastic bags and overwrap

Plastic containers (jars, jugs, bottles)

Printed paper and paper packaging (newspaper, magazines, catalogues, writing paper, paper bags)

Propane tanks (maximum 4 disposable and 2 refillable)

Scrap metal

Smoke and carbon monoxide alarms

Thermostats

Tires (passenger or light truck with or without rims, maximum 10)

Used oil (maximum 15 L), oil filters (maximum 3), and empty oil containers

Materials accepted at other locations

The following materials are not accepted here. They are included in take-back programs and accepted at designated drop-off locations. Use the Waste Wizard to find drop-off locations.

Broken televisions and computer monitors

Fluorescent light bulbs and tubes

Medications

Have 100+ tonnes of clean waste concrete and asphalt?

The Vancouver Landfill is looking for clean waste concrete and asphalt for our road upgrades.

If your materials meet the requirements, you could dispose of them for free and save on landfill disposal charges.

Surcharges for banned materials and unsecured loads

You will pay a surcharge if your garbage load contains banned materials that have not been separated for recycling or proper disposal, or if your load is not secured using tarps or ropes to prevent litter.

Surcharge level	Applies to
$65 minimum	Garbage loads containing one or more banned hazardous and operational impact or banned product stewardship program materials
50% surcharge	Garbage loads containing banned recyclable materials as follows: 5% or more by weight or volume of one or a combination of cardboard, printed paper, glass bottles and jars, plastic and metal containers, yard and garden trimmings, clean wood waste, and food waste
50% surcharge	All unsecured loads
100% surcharge	Garbage loads containing over 20% expanded polystyrene packaging, starting July 1, 2018

Payment options

We accept payment by cash, debit card, cheque, and credit card.

There are conditions when paying with a cheque or credit card, and when dropping items off using a rental vehicle.

Cheques
Cheques must be from a bank in the province of British Columbia, and meet the following conditions:
- The name and address on your cheque must be the same as on your driver's license – cheques with a handwritten or rubber-stamped address are not accepted.
- If you do not have your driver’s licence with you, or your passenger is paying, two pieces of identification, including a credit card, are required.
- Company cheques require a pre-printed company name, address, telephone number, and bank account information and you must show a valid driver's license as identification.
Credit card
When paying with a personal credit card:
- The card must be in your name
- You must show your driver’s license as identification
When paying with a company credit card, the signature on the card must match the signature on your driver's license unless:
- The company name on the card matches a company logo on the vehicle used for drop-off
- The company name on the card matches the name on the vehicle registration
Rental, out-of-town, and dealer plate vehicles
If you are using a rental vehicle, out-of-town vehicle, or a vehicle with a dealer plate to drop off items:
- A deposit is required on entry to the facility
- The deposit amount is determined by the weighmaster based on the estimated cost of the load
- Deposit and fees must be paid by cash, debit, or credit card

Sort your load before drop-off to avoid extra fees

If you have a mixed load of items, you may:

Weigh in, then drop off one item type at a time, and loop back to the weigh scales after each item is dropped off and fees will be based on each item type
Weigh all items at once and dispose of everything at the garbage rate

We encourage you to sort your load before drop-off to ensure you do not have to pay additional fees.

Photography and filming

Professional photographers and filmmakers please contact the Film and Special Events Office.

Media outlets please contact media@vancouver.ca

Members of the public and hobby photographers, for safety and capacity reasons, are not allowed to access the landfill site for photography or filming.

Educational tours of the Vancouver Landfill and Recycling Depot

Tours are available for grade 4 to 12 classes. For more information or to request a class tour, visit Metro Vancouver's Landfill tour webpage .

Educational tours for other school and special interest groups may be requested by email to landfilltours@vancouver.ca.

Let us know the size of your group and how you anticipate the tour will benefit the group.

Other things to consider:

Visitors are required to provide a single vehicle that can accommodate all visitors plus the tour guide
Tours may be requested for Wednesdays and Thursdays between 10am and 2pm
Requests are considered on a case by case basis, and we reserve the right to decline tour requests due to staff and operational capacity

Compost sales at the landfill

Compost soil

The Vancouver Landfill composting facility creates compost from yard trimmings for sale and donation. You may pick up compost from the landfill.

Facts and figures

Get the facts on the City of Vancouver's solid waste management efforts, and the Vancouver Landfill.

Annual reports