Green Carts and Container Requirements Information

Green Carts are available in four sizes: 120L, 240L and 360L. You may also put up to 10 paper yard waste bags (15kg/33lbs) or bundles of yard waste out for collection with your Green Cart at no extra charge.

Every home has one free exchange during every two – year period (May 1, 2023 – April 30, 2025), additional changes during this time can be made for a fee of $25.

Green Cart size exchange requests must be made by property owners. Tenants, please discuss cart sizes with your landlord.

Green Cart exchange requests may be made using the link below or by calling 604.793.2787. Please allow up to 4 to 5 business days for your exchanged to be processed.

Click here to request a different cart size.

Our contractor, Emterra plans to exchange carts on the day after residents' regular collection day, but in some cases, exchanges may occur on another day of the week. In order to facilitate the exchange, please ensure your Green Cart is accessible from the front of your residence (or from the back lane if you receive back lane collection). Emterra will not be able to exchange your cart without collecting the current size. If your cart is not exchanged the day after collection, please continue to use your cart but keep it accessible until the exchange occurs. If you have any questions about your exchange request, please call Emterra at 604.795.7795.

During collection the Green Cart can be damaged and a free replacement will be supplied by the City. If the Green Cart is damaged by home owners due to vandalism there will be a replacement fee.

Residents are responsible for keeping the Green Cart safe, if resident took reasonable efforts to safeguard the cart (ex. didn’t leave the cart out at the curb more than 12 hours after collection), the City will provide a one-time free replacement. A replacement fee is applied if residents didn’t take sufficient care of the cart.

If you are moving do not take your Green Cart, Blue Bin or Grey Bin with you. Each Green Cart is attached to the property address by a code on the front of the cart, please leave these bins behind for the next residents.

If previous owners did not leave the containers or if you want to exchange the Green Cart size or need additional Blue Bins or Grey Bins, please call us at 604.793.2787.

• Always have your Green Cart out by 7 a.m. During serve weather conditions, truck maintenance, and other unforeseen events can lead to route changes.

• Do not use plastic bags/liners including those marked compostable/biodegradable are not accepted.

• You are responsible for taking care of your cart and keeping it clean from odours, dirt, pests and insects. There is no requirement to line your Green Cart but you may want to use newspaper, paper bags/liners or other paper products to the bottom of the cart. You may also use mild soap or vinegar to rinse your cart with a hose and pour the dirty water onto grass/gravel, not down the storm drain.

• Wrap food in newspaper or paper bags and freeze meat scraps until collection day to prevent attracting wildlife or maggots. You should storage your Green Cart in the garage, shed or enclosure until morning of your collection day. You can eradicate maggots by sprinkling salt, white vinegar, garden lime or diatomaceous earth on top of them.

• If grass clippings are sticking to your cart, consider putting them in a paper yard waste bag first and then roll up the bag, or lining your cart with newspaper. Up to 10 paper bags of yard waste or bundles of branches can be placed at the curb per week.

• Store your Green Cart in your garage or another shady spot during warm weather.

• Layer wet (kitchen scraps or grass clippings) and dry materials (leaves or branches) in your cart to reduce the chances of materials becoming stuck.

• Strain excess liquid and only place solid pieces in the cart.

• During the winter months the contents of your Green Cart may freeze to the sides or bottom of the cart. Crews performing the collection will attempt to dump the entire contents of your Green Cart, but material may be stuck. If material is getting stuck inside the cart, use a shovel or other implement to loosen them before collection.

• Ensure snow is cleared and that cart placement will not interfere with snow plows or other vehicles.

• Biodegradable or compostable coffee pods, utensils, cups or any materials with BPI or compostable/biodegradable labelling are not accepted in Green Cart.

• Don’t force the contents of the cart down.

• There is no limit to the total amount of mixed recyclables that can be placed at the curb for collection each week. Each container can be up to a maximum 121L (max. 25kg/55lbs) and must have a removable lid and handles.

• The lid must be removable and not hinged or permanently attached to the container since the containers are emptied manually by the collection crew.

• A Blue Bin was provided to each resident on the curbside program in summer of 2018. New homes that come on to the curbside program will receive a Blue Bin. Additional or replacement bins are available at City Hall in the Finance Department for a fee of $24.

• All Blue Bin must have a lid to avoid materials blowing away and creating a mess in the neighbourhood. If you are missing a lid for your City’s provided Blue Bin, a replacement lid is available for purchase at City Hall in the Finance Department for a fee of $12.

• Blue bags may only be used for shredded paper. Other recyclables must be placed loose inside an appropriate container (eg. Blue Bin).

• Other resident-supplied containers used for mixed recycling must have a yellow “We Recycle” sticker for easy identification (stickers are available free from City Hall or call 604.793.2787 and it can be mail to you).

• Up to TWO garbage containers or bags can be placed at the curb for collection every two weeks. Containers or bags are supplied by the residents. Garbage bags can be in any colour except for blue or clear.

• If containers are used, all contents within the containers must be bagged (no loose garbage).

• All containers must have a fully removable lid (no hinged lids) and handles with a maximum capacity of 121L/32 GAL. Containers or bags should not weigh more than 25kg or 55lbs.

• The lids must be removable and not hinged or permanently attached to the container since the containers are emptied manually by the collection crew.

•  All garbage containers must have a lid to avoid rain water making the containers heavy.

• Please do not use clear/blue bags for garbage, even if the bag is placed within a garbage container.

• The  City provided grey bins must be used for glass collection; no other container styles are permitted to ensure materials are easily identified by the collection crews.

• There is no limit to the total amount of grey bins that can be placed at the curb for bi- weekly collection.

• Additional grey bins are available at City Hall in the Finance Department for a fee of $4.