Extra recycling crews to help pickup backlog in CRD

The Capital Regional District (CRD) has enlisted additional work crews and trucks from B.C.'s Lower Mainland to help work through a backlog of recycling that’s accumulated since December.

Extra trucks have been added to the usual curbside recycling routes to make sure all materials are picked up between Jan. 24 and Feb 4.

The CRD and contractor Emterra Environmental will make sure that neighbourhoods where recycling pickup has been missed multiple times will be prioritized, particularly homes that are near the end of routes.

If necessary, the CRD will also run special weekend pickups to work through the backlog.

WHAT TO DO

Residents are asked to place their blue box recycling at the curb by 7:30 a.m. on their next scheduled recycling day.

If your recycling is not picked by the end of your scheduled date, put your recycling back out on the next Saturday directly after your collection day by 8 a.m.

"Trucks will recover any missed materials from Saturday morning to Sunday evening each weekend," said the CRD, during the period of Jan. 24 and Feb. 4.

The regional district reminds residents that there' s no limit to how much recycling they can put out, but the items must be rinsed and separated by material – such as paper, metal, plastic, and glass.

"Ongoing service challenges over the past two months have impacted neighbourhoods across the region and the CRD greatly appreciates the public’s patience as we’ve worked with Emterra to return the blue box program to normal service levels as quickly as possible," said the CRD in a statement Monday.

Last week, the CRD had to suspend recycling pickups from commercial sources because of an equipment breakdown at the region's main sorting facility.

The equipment has since been fixed, but the CRD says it's still facing difficulties with transportation, labour shortages, and supply chain issues.

Residents are encouraged to check the CRD website for real-time updates on recycling pickups.