Garbage, Green Bin & Recycling

Single Family Residences

Garbage is collected every second week according to the schedule for your zone noted in the 2019 Residential Waste Collection Guide. Recycling and Green Can waste (kitchen organics such as bones, meat, egg shells, leftovers, grease and leaves, grass clippings, branches, etc.) are picked up weekly.

Please place your garbage cans/ bags at the curb by 7:30 a.m. The garbage limit is two 80 litre cans or two 66 cm x 91 cm bags not exceeding 20kg. Note there is no limit on recycling and green can waste pick-up. Waste collection trucks collect each group of materials separately between the hours of 7:30 AM and 7:00 pm.

Extra garbage pick-up is available by purchasing garbage stickers ($3.00 per bag) from City Hall and Timms Community Centre (20399 Douglas Cr.) or Douglas Recreation Centre (20550 Douglas Cr.).

Large item pick-up of up to four items (including furniture and appliances) per year is available to single-family dwelling residents by appointment only. To schedule a pick-up appointment, please call Emterra at 604-635-0999 or email col@emterra.ca.

Note: working fridges may be eligible for the BC Hydro’s Fridge Buy-Back Program.

Mattress, box springs and futons are excluded from the program but can be recycled through a local mattress recycling facility. Please see the recycling section for more information.

Multi-Family Residences

Multi-family homes (i.e. condos and townhouses) of more than seven units do not currently receive waste collection services from the Langley City. Multi-family complexes management organizations arrange the service through a private waste hauler.

Materials Banned from Garbage Collection

For a complete list of banned materials – including corrugated cardboard, newsprint, beverage containers, paint, oil, electronics and soon: organic waste and clean wood – click here. For more information, visit http://www.metrovancouver.org/ or call the Metro Vancouver Information Centre at 604-432-6200.

Garbage is inspected for high percentages of banned and recyclable materials. Loads that arrive at the disposal sites containing more than 5% (by volume) of banned materials are assessed a 50% surcharge (an additional $32.50 per tonne) on the whole load. These charges are passed back to your business or complex or municipality.

Accepted Green Bin Waste

Food

• All food including produce (fruits and vegetables), grains (bread, baked goods, pasta), dairy, meat, fish, shells (eggshells and shellfish) and bones
• Plate and kitchen scraps (prepared leftover food)
• Small amounts of fat, oil and grease

Food-Soiled Paper (not clean paper)

• Paper napkins
• Pizza Boxes
• Paper Take-out containers
• Food-soiled newsprint (kitchen catcher liner)
• Paper egg cartons
• Paper bags
• Coffee grounds and paper filters
• Tea bags and tea grounds
• Waxed cardboard
• Wooden chopsticks, skewers, popsicle sticks

Yard Waste

• Flowers
• Grass clippings
• Leaves
• Other organic yard materials
• Plants (living, dead, dried)
• Trees & Hedge Prunings
• Clean wood (small pieces)

Unacceptable Green Bin Items 

Inorganic materials like glass, metal and plastic can't be composted.

Plastic and plastic-lined bags, even the ones labelled "biodegradable" or "compostable," are not accepted as they can cause operational problems, may not break down properly during processing and may contaminate the finished compost. If the operator identifies plastic bags or other non-compostable materials in the green bin, the entire load may be rejected and sent to landfill.

• Animal carcasses
• Butter wrappers
• Bread tags
• Cereal and cracker box liners
• Chip and cookie bags
• Coffee cups and lids, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
• Cotton swabs and balls, make-up remover pads
• Cork
• Dental floss
• Dirty diapers
• Elastic bands
• Foil wrap, containers and pie plates
• Glass jars
• Metal cans
• Netting
• Pet food bags and other lined bags, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
• Pet waste or kitty litter
• Personal hygiene items, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
• Plastic bags and plastic-lined bags, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
• Plastic containers and plastic cutlery, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
• Plastic wrap, even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
• Produce stickers (PLU stickers), even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
• Ribbon
• Rubber bands
• Soiled diapers
• Soil, sod, rocks
• Styrofoam
• Swizzle sticks
• Twist ties
• Vacuum contents and bags
• Wipes (e.g. baby wipes, make-up remover wipes), even those marked “biodegradable” or “compostable”
• Wire

Single Family Residences

The City provides weekly collection of green waste year-round. Please place your green can waste at the curbside on your collection day in either: designated refuse containers (minimum 50 litres / maximum 80 litres) marked with "Green Can" (decals available at City Hall, 20399 Douglas Cr.) OR double-ply water-resistant, compostable kraft yard bags specifically designed for green waste collection (available at retail stores). Note: Branches (maximum 1 m x 60 cm) must be securely tied in bundles that are no heavier than 20kg. Plastic bags and compostable plastic bags are not acceptable. The composting facility that accepts the City's waste is not able to accept compostable plastic bags due to the accelerated nature of their decomposition process.  

• Easy-to-use Green Can Chart
• Green Can Tips
• Green Can Q&A
• Sample containers & program info

Multi-Family Residences

Did you know that Metro Vancouver banned organic materials (including food scraps) from the landfill in 2015? Prepare your multi-family complex for the upcoming changes and set up your organics collection today! Food Scraps recycling can be set up by contacting a private hauler, such as your current garbage contractor.

Green Waste Resources:

• Metro Vancouver’s Information about the Organic Ban
• Metro Vancouver’s Resources for Apartments and Condos
• Metro Vancouver’s Questions to ask Haulers
• Metro Vancouver’s Food Scrap Recycling Information, Signs and Handout

Single and Multi-Family Residences

• Recycle BC Accepted Materials List (consolidated) 

If you have questions about your recycling services in the City of Langley or to inquire about additional or replacement bins, please contact Emterra Environmental (Recycle BC’s collection contractor) at 604-635-0999. For more information on Recycle BC’s recycling program in the City of Langley, please visit the Recycle BC website 

Recycling Resources:

• For information on mattress recycling, call the Recycling Council of BC  Hotline at 604-REC-YCLE (604.732.9253).
• To recycle beverage containers, electronics, computers, paper, paint, pesticides, fuel and more visit Langley Bottle Depot at 20137 Industrial Avenue.
• To recycle beverage containers, glass, electronics, paint, fluorescent tubes (lamps) and common household batteries (AAA, AA, C, D and the smaller “watch” style), visit Willowbrook Recycling at 19641 60 Avenue.
• To recycle lead-acid batteries, visit Edmonds Recycling,101-20583 Langley Bypass.
• To find the nearest recycling centre by category, visit Metro Vancouver Recycles.

Metro Vancouver Disposal Facilities
Product Care - Paint, Pesticides, Flammable Liquids
Recycling Council of BC Website
Recycle BC
BC Recyclopedia