Residential Garbage

• What if I have more garbage material than I can fit in the cart?

  Residential garbage is collected every second week. If you have more garbage material than can fit in the cart for collection, one of the following options could be used:

  • Hold the additional material until your next regular garbage collection day.
  • Place the material in a well tied garbage bag and place it beside your garbage cart for collection on your regular garbage day. All bags placed beside the cart must be tagged with a ‘Tag-a-Bag’ sticker, which can be purchased at the City Hall finance counter for $2.50 per sticker. Bags without tags will not be collected.
  • Take additional garbage material to the Greater Vernon Diversion and Disposal Facility, to be disposed of appropriately.

  Please note: garbage cart lids must be able to close. This helps avoid overfilling the cart with heavy material, keeps pests out of containers, and helps keep our streets clean.

• Tag-a-bag program

  If you have extra garbage, the driver will pick up additional bags if there is a sticker attached to each additional bag; stickers cost $2.50 each and can be purchased at the City Hall or the Recreation Complex. 

• If garbage is collected every second week, won’t it produce odours?

  When all of the kitchen and yard organics are removed from garbage, what is left over will be inorganic items that do not generate an odour. This will be the case for most properties. However, some residents may have diapers or pet waste in their garbage, which cannot be placed in the organics carts. To help manage odour, particularly in warmer months:

  • Ensure all garbage material is bagged and tied shut before placing it in the cart.
  • Keep the cart lid closed securely at all times.
  • Store your garbage cart inside your garage, or in the shade for as much of the day as possible if it must be outside.
  • Sprinkle baking soda in layers throughout your garbage cart. Please do not put large amounts at the bottom of your bin. It is more effective to sprinkle it in layers as you add your bagged diapers or pet waste to the cart.
  • If you use material like baking soda in the garbage cart, rinse the cart out with water and vinegar occasionally, to help keep it clean and fresh.
• How to place your automated garbage collection cart

  Please place carts 1m from other objects to allow the automated collection truck to retrieve your cart.

  Carts are to be placed on the street, with the wheels against the curb, if there is one. However, this practice needs to be adjusted if there is a bike lane or sidewalk adjacent to the property, to avoid creating an obstacle for pedestrians and cyclists.

  If there is a bike lane with a curb, but no sidewalk, the cart should be placed at the edge of curb, off the bike lane.

  If there is a sidewalk (with or without a bike lane), the cart should be placed on the property immediately adjacent to the sidewalk. Please see below for examples.

  

• Where can I dispose of batteries?

  Batteries are not an accepted material in your curbside garbage, organics, or recycling bins. 

  Find a convenient recycling location on the Recycling Council of British Columbia's website.

Questions?