The City of Burnaby’s solid waste and recycling collection program helped divert more than half of all the waste collected in Burnaby in 2021, keeping thousands of tonnes of waste out of landfills and incinerators.
Data from the City’s 2021 Solid Waste and Recycling Annual Report shows that, for the third year in a row, green waste comprised the largest share of collected materials (41%), while recycling comprised 20%. Only 39% of the collected materials were classified as garbage.
While the city-wide picture is strong, there are opportunities to improve the diversion rate for multi-family, industrial, commercial and institutional properties. While the diversion rate for these properties is slowly improving each year, the City is exploring additional ways to accelerate this positive trend.
The report also highlights other key achievements related to waste reduction in Burnaby, including:
- Making the Eco-Centre more accessible to cyclists and people using transit, by installing a pedestrian entrance;
- Creating new partnerships to collect electronics, small appliances and power tools for recycling at the Eco-Centre;
- Initiating plans to develop a civic-owned green waste processing facility;
- Acquiring a mobile camera to deploy to illegal dumping hot spots on city streets and lanes to deter illegal dumping and/or capture the evidence required for enforcement; and
- Receiving $128,000 in program incentive bonuses from Recycle BC for demonstrating high diversion rates in the residential curbside collection program.
Learn More: Solid Waste and Recycling 2021 Annual Report