The City of Abbotsford could face thousands of dollars in fines if it doesn’t reduce the amount of contaminated recycling collected from curbside pickup.
In response, the city is looking at measures to penalize regular offenders such as suspending their curbside recycling services and raising fines from $100 to $500.
A staff report to council indicates that an agreement with the Recycle BC (RBC) program allows for a maximum contamination rate of 5.55 per cent
The report states that the city had a contamination rate of 8.29 per cent in 2022, after which improvements were made, reducing the rate to 7.37 per cent by 2024.
RBC notified the city on Feb. 12 that loads above the accepted five per cent rate are subject to annually escalating fines of $5,000 per load to a maximum of 24 loads – a total of $120,000 – in the first year and up to $480,000 by year four.
The staff report states that major contributors to contamination are items placed for pickup that are not part of the recycling program and that should otherwise be reused, recycled at a depot or placed in the garbage.
Common contaminants include bagged garbage, books, durable plastic products (such as toys, garden hoses and Rubbermaid containers), electronics, scrap metal, light bulbs and batteries.
Some households have used the recycling cart for additional garbage, the report states.
A press release issued by the city on Friday (June 6) states that efforts the city has undertaken so far to reduce contamination have included community education, waste-sorting workshops, on-street cart inspections, and automated truck technology to identify contaminants.
The release states that if the city incurs fines from RBC, the result could be higher recycling service rates, additional penalties for repeat offenders and possible suspension of curbside recycling services to households that continue to place incorrect materials in their carts.''
“To keep the City of Abbotsford’s curbside recycling program affordable and sustainable, all residents must do their part to recycle correctly,” the release states.
Steps the city is taking include “recycling ambassadors” inspecting carts on collection days and attending community events to spread awareness about how to properly sort waste.
Additional tips, resources and updates will be shared through the curbside collection app, utility notices and on the city’s social media channels.
The city currently provides recycling collection to approximately 26,000 single-family homes and duplexes. Service to around 13,400 homes on the west side is provided by city staff, while the remainder on the east side are serviced by a contracted company.
RBC gives the city an annual incentive fee of $1.2 million to provide curbside collection.
A waste-sorting guide and other resources can be found at abbotsford.ca/waste.
