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City of Chilliwack says residents putting wrong things in recycling bins

There is too much contamination, pushing the City to develop a ‘Contamination Remediation Plan’
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The City of Chilliwack says contamination in curbside recycling is too high, and an education/enforcement campaign has begun.

Emterra Environmental, which handles curbside recycling collection in Chilliwack, has started leaving educational tags on non-compliant recycling bins. City staff are doing the same while performing random audits. The work is part of the city’s ‘Contamination Remediation Plan,’ developed in consultation with Recycle BC.

“We know a lot of residents are passionate about recycling and want to keep as much out of the landfill as possible, but to do that we all need to make sure we are putting the right materials in our blue bins,” said Chilliwack Mayor Ken Popove.

RELATED: With take out and online shopping on the rise, Recycle BC releases tips for recycling

RELATED: Grey tubs for glass recycling arriving across Chilliwack

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Items that can go into recycling bins include:

- Paper products and packaging such as newspapers and flyers, loose leaf paper, magazines, emptied paper cups and drink holders and paper food bags

- Cardboard and boxboard

- Rigid plastic packaging such as milk jugs, clamshell packaging, plastic cups, plastic plant pots, dispenser bottles and plastic trays

- Metal containers and packaging such as aluminum cans and lids, aluminum foils, metal containers and soup cans.

There is a lengthy list of items that shouldn’t go into recyling. That list includes:

- Soft and stretchy plastic bags (e.g. shopping bags) and overwrap

- Foam packaging like Styrofoam

- Other flexible plastic packaging such as chip bags and zipper lock bags

- Hazardous materials (e.g. sharp items, gas canisters, batteries, etc.)

- Personal hygiene products like face masks, paper towels and tissues

- Scrap metal such as pots/pans

- Small electronics like toasters and blenders

- Clothing

- Books

- Tupperware containers

- Rigid plastic products such as toys, car seats and chairs

- Glass bottles, dishes, window glass or ceramics

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Glass bottles and jars are collected in the grey bin while other types of glass should go in the trash.

The city reminds people to empty and thoroughly rinse out any cups and food containers.

Plastic bags, foam packaging, batteries, light bulbs and electronics can be dropped off for recycling at local depots.

“The City has several helpful tools that residents can use when they aren’t sure what goes where, including our Curbside Collection App,” Popove said.

Residents can download the free Chilliwack Curbside Collection App to their smartphones, or use the Waste Wizard and Sorting Guide found on the City’s website. Hard copies of the sorting guide can also be mailed to residents upon request.

For more information, visit chilliwack.com/curbside, email curbside@chilliwack.com or call 604-793-2787.


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eric.welsh@theprogress.com

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Eric Welsh

About the Author: Eric Welsh

I joined the Chilliwack Progress in 2007, originally hired as a sports reporter.
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