CAREERS   l  CONTACT US
Metro Vancouver Logo Skip navigation links
About Us
Boards
Services
Planning
Outreach
 
Metro Vancouver
 
Home Email page Print Share this page Increase text size Decrease text size
 
 
Recycling
Metro Vancouver Recycles
Disposal
Banned & Prohibited Materials
Disposal Facilities
Back Yard Composting
Food Recycling
Hazardous Waste
Planning
Zero Waste Challenge

Disposal 
Materials that have no reuse or recycling option, and are not considered hazardous waste, are disposed of in either a landfill or a waste-to-energy facility. The ultimate goal is to have as little material going to landfills and the waste-to-energy facility as possible.

Garbage pickup
Residential garbage pickup is the responsibility of each municipality. Garbage and recyclables collection is scheduled differently in each area of the region so, for information on the schedule for your area, contact your municipality.

Banned materials, prohibited materials & household hazardous wastes
Certain materials are banned or prohibited from disposal in the region’s landfills, either because recycling facilities are in place or because the materials are considered hazardous waste. Take-back programs are now available for a number of materials such as beverage containers, tires and pharmaceuticals. For more information on how to dispose of all banned and prohibited materials and household hazardous waste, check out the Metro Vancouver Recycles database.
 Take-back programs

Disposal facilities
Six transfer stations, a waste-to-energy facility (where waste is incinerated) and the Cache Creek Landfill and Vancouver Landfill are the main components of the disposal portion of the Metro Vancouver's Solid Waste Management Plan. Within the region there are public disposal facilities as well as private solid waste facilities.

Resources
Watch video clips
required Flash Player
Landfill Open House
Where Does Your Garbage Go?

Fast Facts

  • Divert as much waste from landfills as possible to help reduce greenhouse gas production. One kg of garbage can emit up to 1.7 kg of CO2 in a landfill.
  • Over 24,000 tonnes of plastic bags are disposed by Metro Vancouver residents each year - that's over 2% of the total waste stream or 11 kilograms of plastic bags per person! Choose to reuse your bags.