Bi-weekly Garbage Collection
 

The city of Burnaby has switched over to bi-weekly garbage collection. I do split most of my garbage (I'll admit not completely) but I find myself using up most of the space in my garbage bin still. It's still early so maybe I still need to make more adjustments.

I think it's kind of unfair that we still pay the same amount of taxes for reduced services now, and not only that I'm thinking I might have to upgrade my garbage bin to a larger size which will cost more as well. I know that we live in the lower mainland and some of you will probably say it's the cost of living here.

I'm just wondering how others have adjusted to this change. Did you find yourselves getting a larger garbage bin? Recycling more often (ie: sorting all garbage down to the smallest of plastics)? Reducing the amount of waste you create? Or dumping elsewhere... haha.

I guess for me, I'll have to really sort out my garbage as I have mentioned I don't completely split up everything. Hopefully that works out for my family and I. If not, I guess I'll have to upgrade my garbage bin to a larger size.

Lol. This is one of the main reasons why you've been reduced to bi-weekly collection. Gone are the days where there is unlimited pits to dump trash in. Nobody wants a new dump near their area, the cost of shipping garbage different places is going up, the sites that do collect it want more money and we can't burn it or dump it in the ocean (as we've done in the past). So you can either pay more, or they can cut you to bi-weekly service.

Not saying it isn't annoying when you have to switch, but consider the reasons why and you might be a little less whoa-is-me about having to actually sort out your garbage. I mean, gee, it's 2017. It's a bit like complaining you can't smoke in a restaurant.

Squamish has been on bi-weekly pickup for at least ten years. It takes some adjusting, and there are definitely a couple of times a year where I ended up with a garbage bag in the garage for a week or two because I was 'over', but it is manageable. It became far easier once they brought in the biweekly organics bin, though I will admit I absolutely hated the thing in my garage/shop. If I can tear down parts cars, build rally cars and restore classic cars...as well as live a normal life with a house of people...and not have an issue with bi-weekly pickup, a normal family should have no problem. I think I keep Costco's blue-shop towel aisle on a fresh rotation single-handedly, and there is LOTS of a parts car which can't go to metal recycling.

Well the reason why I mentioned that I don't completely split up all my garbage is because I remember when I did sort out all my plastics back in the day, the recycler that comes by to pick up the blue bin would pick out certain plastics and leave it in the blue bin. Well guess where that went after... to the garbage. After that I only threw in plastics that I knew would be recycled. Since then it just developed as a bad habit and maybe things have changed.

off topic, but everyone PLEASE don't use the word biweekly. it's completely ambiguous. say once every two weeks, or twice a week.

anyways here in Vancouver we've had it for a while, and it SUCKS ASS. I just had a kid and the amount of garbage I have has now shot up exponentially. I'm pretty decent with what I recycle, but during the winter snow storm, when we didn't get garbage collection, it ended up being a month before it was emptied. that's just unacceptable in my opinion.

I live in Richmond and we have recycle pick up once a week and garbage once every two weeks.

Our recycle bins are overflowing, we compost/organic waste everything we can and then throw out what's left. In our home it's my fiancé and I, and upstairs is the landlord, his wife and his daughter.

We don't even get close to filling that garbage bin. Not. Even. Close.

I think if you were more diligent with recycle and organic waste, you wouldn't have an issue

Yes. The rules HAVE changed. Review them

If you've got a place to store garbage besides the bin just make a dump run once a month for 10-$15

One thing that annoys me between surrey and moving to vancouver is Vancouver still uses the stupid old blue bin as opposed to having the full sized can like the green/black

:pokerface:

Live in Van, we've been on this rotation for a long time now. It really hasn't affected us a whole lot as the Green Bin now takes food scraps and the recycling box takes more types of items than before leaving not a whole lots of stuff that needs to go into the Garbage other than diapers Styrofoam just to name a couple.

If they want people to swtich the city should provide the bins and also the garbage bags. Because you can't just use regular plastic bags for your organic stuff now and those bags do cost money. Yet nothing is being done. Till the city actually pays for us to buy those bags or give it to us I will contiune to use plastic bags.

So you're just like all the fobs in high rises that ruin it for everyone else.

How ignorant to put fucking plastic bags in green waste, use a bucket or somthing ffs..

if bi weekly meant twice a week - i wish i got paid twice a week!

..... lol the common use of bi-weekly is every two weeks. i've never seen it used to describe twice a week. perhaps we should switch to using fortnightly then?

Wait till their poops get bigger. The standard 2 can size, is just right for us (Family of 4; two kids still in diapers.) I would say easily half our garbage consists of diaper genie tubes.

Pickup delays really depend on your location. During the winter storms, my area in Vancouver (SE Van) luckily didn't get missed at all.

Surrey has had that for a couple years now and mission where I live has that as well. They also have the rot pot for all the food waste. It's not hard at all to separate your garbage but I do admit its a hassle at first.

Thanks, I will be taking a look. Just been a bit busy with everything else in my life.

I just wanted to see other people's thoughts and how they were coping with the change.

I normally don't try to come off sounding too harsh and I'm not sure if you meant to be or not since it's hard to judge over written responses. But I think people could always be a bit more sincere, it definitely doesn't hurt.

It's nothing personal against you good sir, so please don't take it as offensive.

That being said, I have a short fuse for things like recycleing and littering (within reason). I am not an environmentalist by any means. I drive a car and motorcycle and spray paint and all that good shit. But being born and raised in BC, a province founded and dependant on its beautiful nature.... It kills me when I see people litter, throw shit our, not recycle, all that stuff. And it's not just new immigrants or anything. My in-laws live in the interior where there are NO recycle programs. Every single thing gets tossed in the garbage. Food scraps, cans, bottles, plastic. It's disgusting.

I grew up with my mom religiously abiding by the three R's. If she caught you not cutting. Off the paper label on a soup can before recycling it, she'd yell at you.

... not sure why quite a few people don't understand that it means both twice a week and once every two weeks ... maybe i'm just old and it's not taught that way anymore?

check out the first hit on google, on m-w.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/biweekly


i'd say I've seen it used 50-50 for both meanings -- but i'm old :/

ANYWAYs enough English lessons.

I've been using the small garbage bin but probably need to upsize to the next one, because yeah, those diaper genie bags take up the majority of room.

I also wish Vancouver had bigger recycling bins since *every* blue box on my street is always overflowing.

btw, everyone look at what can be recycled now -- it's crazy. you can recycle Styrofoam! (did not know that until my last visit to return-it)

A lot of used tissues and paper towels should go in the green bin.
Light cardboard from takeout containers etc. can also go in the green bin as long as it doesnt have some sort of plastic coating on it.

I put all the natural stuff into the green bin as long as it doesnt have some sort of strong coating on it. Take out wooden chop sticks, and "party" paper plates included during summer bbq months.

You typically shouldnt have THAT much garbage for a household... to fit into the standard sized garbage cans...

Maybe youre not recycling enough? A lot of your "garbage" might be recycleable.

p.s. my green bin and recycle gets picked up every week, and garbage is every 2 weeks.

Well, the goal of Metro Vancouver is zero waste, so really, the only things you should be throwing in the garbage are diapers and sanitary products. Everything else should be recycled or put in the green bin. At least the City of Burnaby has a facility where you can take things like scrap metal, styrofoam, and excess cardboard for free.

I don't see this being an issue if you've been managing your garbage for a while (unlike the inconsiderate people in high rises). Just be a little more aware of what you're throwing away before you throw it away.

Sure I will do once the city actually supply everyone with a bucket for our kitchen to put our green waste in. But nope. We have to get our own bucket and pay extra to get those biodegradable out of our own pockets while the city is reducing service and increase our fees.

If they city want us to use biodegradable bags provide everyhouse with them along with a bucket to put in our kitchens.

People are already screw by all the tax we pay and we just keep rolling over.

I'm actually a girl. :pokerface:



But if other people are managing then it shouldn't be a problem for myself either. Just gotta get everyone in the household to do the same. I noticed our tenant using the green bin as a regular garbage bin last night which I need to talk to them about. I wasn't happy about that at all.

Well actually in Vancouver when we introduced the Green Bin + Biweekly Garbage Collection we gave every household a Food Container and lowered the price of Garbage Collection.

Each week I have literally only one safeway bag full of garbage to dump and its mostly just cat shit. Everything else gets sorted in the plastic, cardboard, compost, glass and paper bins.. Its really not that hard to separate your garbage and plus it really helps the environment.

Not in Burnaby. We have to get our own bucket for the kitchen and our garbage collection price is the same. So less service for the same price = increase in price for service.