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.
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