In BC, recycling is the responsibility of retailers, manufactures, and
restaurants that supply packaging and paper products for use within the
province. This means that the responsibility for the collections of these
materials is the responsibility of these businesses.
Historically, municipalities funded recycling programs via property tax. This
is not that case in Langley City. Recycling services in Langley City are
provided directly by
Recycle BC
with no municipal involvement.
At the start of this month, Recycle BC changed the contractor responsible for
recycling collection for single-family homes in our community. I received
several inquiries from residents about this change.
Recycle BC provided the following information which may be of use.
What are the changes to the recycling collection program in Langley?
-
GFL takes over as the collection contractor from Emterra effective July 1
-
Residents will use new customer service contact information for
questions/issues about their recycling collection:
srrecycle@gflenv.com
or 778-765-3662
-
A yellow bag has been delivered to each home – for residents to set out
paper materials
-
A grey box has been delivered to each home – for residents to set out glass
materials
- Increased education and enforcement regarding sorting requirements
What remains the same about the recycling collection program in Langley?
- The collection schedule will not change
- The accepted materials will not change
-
Residents will continue to use the blue boxes that they have – now only for
containers (plastic, metal and cartons and paper cups)
-
Multi-Family collection will continue to be provided by Emterra
Environmental to multi-unit properties
FAQs
Why are we getting a yellow bag for paper, the blue boxes were fine?
Yellow bags are used successfully in the collection programs in Township of
Langley, City of Burnaby, Coquitlam, Maple Ridge, Richmond, Vancouver, and the
North Shore. The yellow bags are being implemented due to the enforcement of
sorting requirements, many homes were not properly sorting paper into one blue
box and containers into another.
Residents are welcome to continue using their existing blue boxes, as long as
you are ensuring that the material is properly sorted.
We have never had to sort before, why the change now?
There have been sorting requirements in place for years; however, they were
not enforced prior to now. Proper sorting ensures that more of the material
that gets collected is successfully recycled.
Why are we required to sort if it all goes into the same truck anyway?
The truck body has separate compartments. The driver ensures that the
materials are placed into the trucks compartments correctly.
Why can’t the driver sort the materials?
The drivers are collecting from more than 750 homes each day. Unfortunately,
they cannot take the time at every home that would be required to sort
everyone’s material.
Why don’t we get the large carts like they have in Surrey, people don’t have
to sort there?
When the material is sorted at the house like we do in the City of Langley, it
reduces contamination and more of the collected material can be recycled. Many
other local communities are also required to sort including the Township of
Langley, Maple Ridge, Burnaby, Coquitlam, Richmond, Vancouver, and the North
Shore.
What do I do with my extra blue box and green box?
You are welcome to keep the extra boxes. They can be used for storage, moving
boxes, raised garden beds, or kept as a back-up recycling box in the event
that your main box goes missing or is damaged. Unfortunately, the boxes
themselves cannot be collected for recycling, so if you want to dispose of it,
it will need to be placed in the garbage.
More Questions
GFL Environmental can answer any other questions or concerns at:
srrecycle@gflenv.com or
778-765-3662.
