For the City to successfully reduce its recycling contamination rate, and to ensure the curbside recycling program remains affordable and sustainable, all residents must do their part to recycle correctly.
Education:
To help achieve this, the City is offering tips and enhanced service to teach residents how to properly sort and prepare items for recycling. City staff and recycling ambassadors are available to help residents gain a better understanding of what goes in their curbside recycling, compost and garbage carts and what items can be dropped off for recycling or disposal and how to properly distinguish between commonly mis-sorted items. Educational information will also be provided in several ways including the curbside collection calendar, utility notices, social media and more!
Monitoring and Enforcement:
Similar to previous years City staff will be assigned to pre-screen carts on collection day before the collector truck arrives. If contamination is observed, the city worker will place a sticker indicating that the cart contains items that are not permitted. One sticker includes a list of several different items, but the workers will indicate what’s applicable. There is also a phone number and email address listed to reach out to for more information. Carts with significant contamination or previous warnings may be rolled back and not collected until contamination is removed. Tickets under the City’s Solid Waste Management Bylaw may also be applied.
The truck operators will also be keeping a close eye on recycle loads. If contamination is observed when your cart is emptied the City will send you a notification to remind you of recycling requirements and direct you to more resources.
The City’s friendly recycling staff are here to help. If you receive a contamination notice or your recycling is left behind but you’re not sure what was mis-sorted, contact the City directly so we can walk your through the sorting process. Contact the Solid Waste and Environmental Coordinator at 604-853-2281 ext. 5582 or by email at sortyourwaste@abbotsford.ca.