Vancouver residents in Fairview frustrated over repeated recycling delays

Recycling is piling up in parts of Vancouver, with residents saying the contractor responsible for collecting it is failing at the basics.

Some buildings in Fairview and other parts around False Creek have not had pickup in four weeks—with stratas telling residents to store their excess recycling in their units.

It’s the latest in a series of missed collections since a company called Recycling Alternative took over the contract to provide service for this part of the city in February.

Previous delays have lasted even longer.

“People, unfortunately, are having to look for recycling alternatives right now,” Dave Wilkinson, a Fairview resident frustrated over the repeated delays to recycling pickup told CTV News. “So, obviously there’s no way they can put it in the actual bins right now.”

In a nearby building, the experience is similar, says George Guthrie.

“Four weeks of no collection whatsoever,” Guthrie said while showing overflowing recycling bins. “And we’re now into the fifth week.”

Guthrie is a member of his building’s strata council who says efforts to address the issue directly with Recycling Alternative have been unsuccessful.

“This is not an acceptable situation,” Guthrie said. “We have been trying very hard through contacting (Recycling Alternative) to get it resolved, and while their staff on the phone and on emails are very polite and understanding, the end result is there is no action whatsoever at the operations level.”

Wilkinson and Guthrie both said they were aware of some people in the neighbourhood resorting to throwing recycling in garbage bins.

“The city likes to see itself as one of the greenest cities and this is a complete failure of that program,” noted Guthrie.

The City of Vancouver directed CTV News to Recycle BC, the non-profit organization that oversees recycling.

“We understand the frustration from Fairview residents experiencing delays and agree that timely and reliable recycling service is important to maintaining clean neighbourhoods and supporting waste diversion,” noted the city in a statement. “Recycling collection for packaging and paper is managed by Recycle BC under the province’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program, and service in Vancouver is delivered through their contracted providers.

“While the city does not operate this program, we have relayed concerns about service disruptions to Recycle BC. We encourage residents experiencing missed pickups to report them directly to Recycle BC to help ensure follow-up.”

Alternative Recycling would not agree to an interview with CTV News, also directing media inquiries to Recycle BC.

“We do sincerely apologize for the interruption,” said Ann Goulding with Recycle BC. “We recognize that – especially for Vancouver condo residents, where space is limited – this is particularly important.”

Recycle BC said Recycling Alternative has struggled to add trucks to its fleet due to procurement issues, and acknowledged pickups were slower than expected in the company’s initial months servicing the area due to a range of issues, including getting access to buildings.

Both Wilkinson and Guthrie live in buildings where the recycling is in alley—it does not needed to be accessed through a parkade or locked door.

CTV News asked Recycle BC if there is a mechanism for removing Recycling Alternative as the contractor for this part of Vancouver.

Recycle BC responded by insisting the company is providing appropriate service for most buildings in its service area, telling residents and building managers to contact it to escalate complaints when delays occur.