Skip to content

Changes have been positive

Dear Editor: Re: Paying more for less?, Letter to the Editor, The Record, March 9. Particularly over the past two years, residents in New Westminster have effectively changed the way we dispose of our waste.

Dear Editor:

Re: Paying more for less?, Letter to the Editor, The Record, March 9.

Particularly over the past two years, residents in New Westminster have effectively changed the way we dispose of our waste.

In response to dramatic increases in garbage disposal costs at Metro Vancouver facilities and in keeping with our commitment to sustainability, the City of New Westminster introduced the new single stream recycling program along with yard and food scraps collection.

The results of the changes have been both immediate and positive. More than 59 per cent of our waste has been diverted out of landfills, and we are on track to meeting and exceeding the regional mandate of 70 per cent diversion.

With less garbage being disposed of, we have been able to reduce recycling and garbage pickup from weekly to biweekly, while the new yard and food scrap collection service remains on a weekly basis. The end result of these changes has been to reduce our environmental footprint while mitigating the impact on residents of Metro Vancouver's increased garbage disposal costs.

Kristian Davis, supervisor, solid waste and recycling, City of New Westminster