Automated Curbside Collection

Excellent question! The RDN program contamination average has consistently been below the overall Recycle BC program average and is now approaching the 3% target. RDN residents’ recycling behaviours are well entrenched and is not anticipated to change significantly as a result of changes in the method of curbside collection. The RDN is committed to continually strive to reduce the overall contamination through our various education and promotion efforts.

The RDN, in partnership with the Contractor, have a comprehensive contamination identification and monitoring plan. In addition to the onboard cameras, the RDN will have staff on foot to conduct spot checks. The RDN will be diligent in the use of the monitoring software and subsequent follow up to education residents regarding their non-compliance.

Great question! The new 100L garbage carts that you will be provided for the new automated collection service is the same size permitted under Bylaw 1591 for the current manual collection service. The 100L garbage limit was designed to best suit most single family dwellings' household disposal needs, and to encourage recycling and composting to reduce the amount of garbage going into the landfill.

The City of Nanaimo administers their own curbside collection service, separate from the RDN service, and therefore, does not fall under the RDN's purview.

Yes! As with current manual collection service, the food waste cart will be emptied every week, and the garbage and recycling carts will be emptied every two weeks on alternating weeks.

Thank you for your question!

 Your existing garbage, recycling and/or food waste containers are your property. They can be repurposed for other uses or extra storage, such as rain barrels, use it to save up your depot items such as film plastics, glass, Styrofoam or refundables.

The RDN is currently in the process of coordinating the collection and recycling of unwanted containers for recycling. Please check back in the coming months for more information!

Based on the feedback from last year's public consultation, we heard from a number of residents that there are varying levels of disposal needs. As such, we have provided the 3 different garbage cart sizes to best accommodate the disposal needs of residents, which corresponds to different fees associated with the disposal costs.

The curbside collection service is fully funded by RDN residents that receive the service. The new service will continue to be paid for by the curbside utility fee, which is separate from your property taxes. The costs listed for the estimated Annual Utility Fee will be a replacement of the Annual Utility Fee you currently pay.  For example, if you choose the default garbage cart size of 100 litres, your estimated Annual Utility Fee will change to $175.

You are not required to line any of your carts. If you choose to line your kitchen catcher or your kitchen waste cart, you must use paper or 100% compostable bags that feature the compostable logo.

1. Everything can go into the new recycling cart! As with the current collection, the RDN is on a single stream recycling system, in which all paper fibers, plastics, metals, and other containers are mixed in a collection truck, instead of being sorted by the resident into separate commodities (newspaper, paperboard, corrugated fiberboard, plastic, glass, etc.) and handled separately throughout the collection process. In single-stream, both the collection and processing systems are designed to handle this fully commingled mixture of recyclables, with materials being separated for reuse at a materials recovery facility. Under the current program, the intent of the yellow bag is preserve the quality of the paper fibers to shelter it from the rain, and prevent loose material from littering the neighborhood as a result of the wind, which will no longer be an issue as everything will be housed inside the carts, away from the elements. When the RDN transitions to the new automated collection, you can continue to use the yellow bags inside your home to save up your depot items such as film plastics, glass, Styrofoam or refundables.
2. Your existing garbage, recycling and/or food waste containers are your property. They can be repurposed for other uses or extra storage, such as rain barrels, use it to save up your depot items such as film plastics, glass, Styrofoam or refundables.
   The RDN is currently in the process of coordinating the collection and recycling of unwanted containers for recycling. Please check back in the coming months for more information.
3. I believe your are referring to the recent CBC Marketplace segment. Waste Connections of Canada is contracted by the RDN to collect curbside collection services for residential single-family dwellings; however, the RDN is also partnered with Recycle BC for all packaging and printed paper collected at the curbside. This means that all recyclable material collected at the curbside is processed by Recycle BC. There is a great response from Recycle BC on their webpage https://recyclebc.ca/ including the highlighted statement below:

“Our contracts stipulate that Recycle BC must approve the end markets for all of our materials before they are transferred. In the case of plastic, 99 percent remains in Canada. This end market is Merlin Plastics, who was found in the report to have recycled the plastic it received. Less than 1% of our plastic is shipped overseas in the form of densified polystyrene, and this constitutes only a portion of the foam we collect. We have personally visited this company to verify its end use. This foam is used in picture frames.”

Recycle BC is a not-for-profit organization responsible for residential packaging and paper recycling throughout BC. Recycle BC is the stewardship agency for packaging and printed paper regulated under the Provincial Recycling Regulation. Recycle BC’s 5 year Packaging and Paper Product Extended Producer Responsibility Plan is approved by the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

The RDN works hard to achieve one of the lowest curbside contamination rates for curbside recycling which helps to ensure the materials we accept at the curbside are recycled. In terms of our other waste streams, organics are sent to Circular Waste in Duke Point for composting producing Grade A compost and garbage is disposed of at our Regional Landfill in Cedar.

Thank you for your question!

We have seen the recent CBC Marketplace segment. Waste Connections of Canada is contracted by the RDN to collect curbside collection services for residential single-family dwellings; however, the RDN is also partnered with Recycle BC for all packaging and printed paper collected at the curbside. This means that all recyclable material collected at the curbside is processed by Recycle BC. There is a great response from Recycle BC on their webpage https://recyclebc.ca/ including the highlighted statement below:

“Our contracts stipulate that Recycle BC must approve the end markets for all of our materials before they are transferred. In the case of plastic, 99 percent remains in Canada. This end market is Merlin Plastics, who was found in the report to have recycled the plastic it received. Less than 1% of our plastic is shipped overseas in the form of densified polystyrene, and this constitutes only a portion of the foam we collect. We have personally visited this company to verify its end use. This foam is used in picture frames.”

Recycle BC is a not-for-profit organization responsible for residential packaging and paper recycling throughout BC. Recycle BC is the stewardship agency for packaging and printed paper regulated under the Provincial Recycling Regulation. Recycle BC’s 5 year Packaging and Paper Product Extended Producer Responsibility Plan is approved by the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.

The RDN works hard to achieve one of the lowest curbside contamination rates for curbside recycling which helps to ensure the materials we accept at the curbside are recycled. In terms of our other waste streams, organics are sent to Circular Waste in Duke Point for composting producing Grade A compost and garbage is disposed of at our Regional Landfill in Cedar.

Yes, most certainly! We understand residents' circumstances may change over time. We are currently working through the cart exchange process with the contractor and will update the webpage with the details shortly.

Thank you for your question. Unfortunately no, there is no option to opt out of the program as the curbside collection service is a compulsory service that is provided to all single family dwellings within the RDN.

We understand your concern regarding the long driveway. Residents who do not wish to roll their carts down a long or difficult driveway may choose to store them at the end of their driveway on their property, and move them to the edge of the roadway for collection on collection day.

Thank you for your questions!

1. No, all RDN residents in single family dwellings are required to use the new automated carts for collection. The new RDN carts will be RFID tagged to your address. The carts that will be delivered to your home were chosen for their technical specifications, in particular, their durability and compatibility with the automated collection trucks.
2. No, the recycling and garbage does not go in the same cart. In summer 2020, each RDN residential household will receive a set of wheeled carts: a blue recycling cart, a green food waste cart with gravity lock, and a black garbage cart.
3. Cardboard boxes will go into your recycling cart. Please note, only material inside the carts, with the lid closed will be collected.
4. While there is no senior specific discount, we have heard from a number of residents during the consultation period last year that would like to see a smaller cart size as they generate little or no waste as a result of their recycling/composting efforts, which is very much in line with the RDN's diversion goals. As such, we have provided an 80L cart size to accommodate those residents’ and provide a small financial incentive as a reward for their diversion efforts (as shown below).

Great question! The carts are available at 10 locations throughout the RDN for residents to see and try out in person. The list of locations can be found here.

The curbside collection service is fully funded by RDN residents that receive the service. The new service will continue to be paid for by the curbside utility fee, which is separate from your property taxes.

Thank you for your email! The cart size dimension can be found in the FAQ and shown below:

Thank you for your question! The RDN is in favor of a user pay model for curbside collection, whereby residents pay according to use. Therefore, residents who generate more waste (i.e. opt for the 240L garbage) will pay a higher fee, compared to residents who generate less waste (i.e. opt for the 100L garbage) to account for the incremental difference in cost of disposal and processing of the material collected in the carts.

Please find below the projected fees for the cart options (pending final Board approval):

Great question! The bear cart is intended for food waste to reduce the chance of attracting wildlife. Ideally, all food waste ends up in the green cart but we understand, in bear country, nothing is safe! If you deem it to be necessary for your area, the bear cart can be used for garbage as well. 

It is your decision which cart, or both, if you choose upgrade.

Please keep in mind, the bear proof cart is only available in the 240L cart size. The manufacturer does not supply this type of cart in anything smaller.

Thank you for your question. The RDN's residential curbside collection program is a compulsory service set out in Bylaw 1591 and therefore, all residential single family dwellings are included in the program. As such, individual households are not able to opt out of the program.

Thank you for your question!

The cost of the carts is included as part of your annual curbside utility fee. The curbside collection utility fee, determined by the garbage cart size, covers the cost of delivering solid waste collection services, including the collection of the 3 waste streams, as well as cost of the carts, the cost of disposal and processing of the material collected in the carts.

The new automated collection service will be provided to all RDN residential single family dwellings in the following communities (with the exception of City of Nanaimo residents who are serviced by City of Nanaimo Public Works) that currently receive manual curbside collection

Area A - Cassidy, Cedar, Yellowpoint, South Wellington

Area B - Gabriola, DeCourcy, Mudge Islands

Area C - Extension, Arrowsmith-Benson, East Wellington, Pleasant Valley

Area E - Nanoose Bay

Area F - Coombs, Hilliers, Errington

Area G - French Creek, Dashwood, Englishman River

Area H - Shaw Hill, Qualicum Bay, Deep Bay, Bowser

District of Lantzville

City of Parksville

Town of Qualicum Beach

click here for the online RDN Utilities Property Information Map

Thanks for checking out the new carts!

The RDN is home to a variety of wildlife, including raccoons and bears. The FOOD WASTE carts supplied to all RDN residents are equipped with gravity locks that automatically unlatch upon collection which cannot be easily opened by wildlife.

Residents will have the choice to upgrade to a more robust, WildSafeBC certified 240L bear-resistant cart at a one-time cost of $230 per cart, plus applicable annual waste processing cost. These carts are available on display at select locations:

RDN Head Office 6300 Hammond Bay Road, Nanaimo

RDN Regional Landfill: 1105 Cedar Road, Nanaimo

For more information, please check out: bear-resistant cart

Great question! The curbside collection utility fee, determined by the garbage cart size, covers the cost of delivering solid waste collection services, including the collection of the 3 waste streams, as well as cost of the carts, the cost of disposal and processing of the material collected in the carts.

Therefore, as you increase your garbage cart size, the fee will increase to cover the incremental difference of the disposal cost.

Thank you for your question! The inclusion of residential yard and garden waste as part of the curbside collection was considered as an option during the Solid Waste Management Plan review and the curbside collection contract procurement process. 

Currently, most residents self-haul their yard and garden wastes to: 1) the Regional Landfill and the Church Road Transfer Station where the material is sent to Nanaimo Organic Waste for composting; 2) a number of private operated sites in the region where it is either composted or used as an industrial fuel; or 3) collected by a private hauling services. It is estimated that roughly 80% of yard and garden waste generated in the RDN is currently diverted from the landfill.  Therefore, the choice was largely a matter of convenience for residents, particularly for those living in the member municipalities and higher density electoral areas, rather than achieving the region’s diversion goal.

Based on recent consultation surveys, support for introducing yard and garden waste were varied and did not provide a clear distinction of preferred service by a majority of users. Ultimately, the Board decided not to include yard and garden waste collection as part of the RDN curbside collection service.

Thank you for your question!  Here are the steps to access the survey if you haven't yet created a login account:

1. Go to the RDN Get Involved Registration page (you can click here).  You will be asked to fill in four boxes.  The first box is Login: create a login name, it can be anything from your real name, to your pet's name, or anything else you'd like.  In the second box enter your email address.  And in the third and fourth boxes, you'll create a password.  This login name can be used again for any RDN Get Involved project and survey.
2. Once you are registered and logged in to your account, you can fill out the Automated Collection Cart Selection survey (access it by clicking here).

That's a great question!  We listened to your feedback from the 2018 Curbside Services Survey to understand what RDN residents want to see for the new curbside contract. The RDN Regional Board has voted to transition from the current manual collection service to an automated collection service in October 2020!

Great question! Recycle BC, a non-profit agency in charge of the residential stewardship plan for Packaging and Printed Paper, rolled out the Other Flexible Plastic Packaging (soft plastics) program on June 1, 2018. It is a program Recycle BC developed in partnership with Merlin Plastics to provide a commercially viable solution to recycle common but difficult-to-process items across BC.

This type of packaging is difficult to collect and process because of the materials it’s made out of.  Although it may not look like it, it’s actually made of many different layers of  material. Because the material collected at the curb goes through a mechanical process to separate the material, these soft plastics get confused as paper or other plastics, contaminating large loads of material, making them non-recyclable. To learn more about how curbside material is separated, watch this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUH-u2TCq4g.   

The program will roll out in 3 phases, intended to better serve British Columbians across the province. During the pilot phase starting June 1, 2018, there were a total of 116 depot across BC collecting this material. On September 1, 2018, additional voluntary depots will begin collection. As of January 1, 2019, all Recycle BC depots in the province are expected to collect this type of packaging.

As you mentioned, not everyone knows about this program so we will focus on educating residents. We will be doing this is through our Zero Waste newsletters and a Winter campaign once the program is fully implemented.