Curbside Collection - Winter Edition

Winter weather conditions can pose challenges for curbside collection, from frozen items stuck inside Green Carts, to streets being missed due to wintry road conditions. To help ensure your materials are picked up on collection day, we’ve compiled a few tips.

 1. Help make your street and carts accessible.

Clear snow from your carts and sidewalk to make your carts visible and accessible for the collection crew. Collection vehicles are not equipped to dig out materials from snowbanks.

When possible, park your vehicle on your property. Vehicles edging into the middle of the road or along the sides of cul-de-sacs reduce the turn-around area for collection vehicles. If there is insufficient turn-around space, crews will be unable to access the area to collect materials.

Do

Don’t

2. Preparing your Green Cart

During periods of sub-zero temperatures, moisture rich materials can freeze to the bottom or sides of your Green Cart. While collection staff make every effort to fully empty bins, materials frozen to your cart may be left behind.

Here are a few ways to help:

• Wrap moisture rich materials in compostable material such as newspaper or paper food waste bags before placing them in your Green Cart.

• If possible, store your Green Cart in a location that stays above freezing temperatures.

• Place your Green Cart out the morning of your collection day instead of the night before to keep the contents from freezing.

3. Sign up for weekly reminders and service alerts.

Receive weekly collection reminders via e-mail, phone call, or digital calendar. Sign up here, by entering your address in the widget and clicking the green ‘Get a reminder’ button. By signing up for weekly reminders you will also receive service alerts specific to your area, this includes collection delays due to weather events.

4. Follow Sierra Waste’s blog during weather events.

Updated throughout the day, sierrawaste.ca/blog posts information regarding the areas and collection streams (recycling, organics, garbage) missed. If your area is not listed and you experience a missed pick up, report it at 604-530-3939.

Missed Materials

Collection staff make every effort to collect materials as originally scheduled, however, inclement weather can make some areas unsafe to service, posing risks to residents and/or personal property. While passenger-type vehicles may be able to get in and out of unserviceable areas, collection trucks err on the side of caution.

Missed Recycling

Leave your blue box, yellow bag, and grey box at the curb until the end of the week. Collection crews will return if conditions improve later in the week. Residents can report improved road conditions by calling Sierra Waste Services Ltd. at 604-530-3939.

If recycling has not been collected by the end of the week, please remove your recycling from the road and set it out again on your next collection day. If your recycling containers are full, the use of other containers, such as a Rubbermaid-style bin, will be accepted temporarily during the inclement weather period. Materials must still be sorted when placed in additional bins – one bin for containers, one bin for paper, and one bin for glass bottles and jars. Recyclables set out in plastic bags are not accepted.

Missed Green Cart

During severe weather events collection may shift to garbage priority mode with Green Carts collected later that day if time permits. If your Green Cart was not collected by the end of your scheduled day, leave your cart at the curb for one additional day. If your Green Cart remains unemptied by the end of the second day, please pull it in and set it out on your next collection day.

Missed Garbage Cart

Leave your garbage cart(s) and any bags with Extra Garbage Stickers out until they are collected, or you receive further instruction from Township staff. Crews will attempt to access your property as soon as road conditions improve. Residents can report improved road conditions to Sierra Waste Services Ltd. at 604-530-3939.

Public Works
604-532-7300
opsinfo@tol.ca