The City of Surrey manages the collection of residential curb side garbage, recycling and yard waste to over 93,000 single-family dwellings each week.  In addition, the City provides weekly household recyclables collection service to over 28,000 multi-family units.  Waste collection services are presently performed by the City's waste contractor Emterra Environmental.

The City of Surrey's residential waste stream has been on a declining trend since the early 1990's.  The trend in declining garbage continues even while the number of households in the City continues to increase annually.  Conversely, waste diversion has steadily increased during the same period.  The decreasing garbage/increasing waste diversion trend is attributed to Surrey residents who take great pride in their environment as evidenced through their high participation in waste diversion programs such as the City’s weekly curb side recyclables and yard waste collection service, disposal of recyclables product through the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) programs, and compliance with the Metro Vancouver waste disposal bans.  Thanks for your sustainable efforts and let's keep the diversion trend moving upwards! 

Draft Solid Waste Management Plan

Metro Vancouver Region, in conjunction with its member municipalities (including Surrey) has produced a draft update to its Solid Waste Management Plan (SWMP) which reflects broad principles and specific actions that will be used in managing solid waste within the region. The draft SWMP is a key component of Metro Vancouver’s Sustainability Framework. The plan is based on a hierarchy five-step approach commonly referred to as the 5R’s, with reduction, recycling, and reuse which are waste diversion strategies, followed by recovery and residuals management which are used to address the waste remaining after all practical efforts to avoid, reduce, reuse and recycle the waste have been exhausted. 

At the core of the draft Solid Waste Management Plan is the new waste diversion target rate of 70% by year 2015. This aligns with Surrey’s goals as reflected within the City of Surrey's own Sustainability Charter which emphasizes the maximization waste diversion. 

A major component of the draft SWMP is the establishment of a food waste (organics) collection program throughout the region (including Surrey). This will require the City to expand its current residential curb side waste collection program to include food waste diversion. The planning stages have already commenced.  Over the spring of 2010, the City will be hosting a number of community venues and mailing out information to Surrey residents that will provide greater details regarding the residential curb side organics collection initiative.

 Garbage

 Recycling 

 Yard Waste 

 Large Item PickUp Program

 Surrey Reuses 

 Multi-Family Recycling 

To The Curb

Please ensure that garbage, recycling and yard waste materials are placed at your curb side by 7:30 am and no earlier than one day prior to your collection day. This mitigates the potential of waste materials being scattered throughout your neighbourhood by scavenging animals or wind.  In addition, while a pattern for waste collection may appear to have been established in your neighbourhood at specific times that are later than 7:30 am, the City does not guarantee that it can maintain the same time schedule due to changes in route scheduling that is required from time to time for various reasons.  Accordingly, it is strongly recommended that all materials be placed at curb side by 7:30 am on your collection day. 

Waste Container Placement

Please place your waste materials at your curb side in a manner that it is visible to waste collection crews. Please do not place your collection materials behind parked vehicles or any other obstruction that may make it difficult for the waste collectors to spot. 

Waste Collection During Snow & Ice

During the winter months, garbage, recycling and yard waste services may be disrupted during snow & ice conditions. During a snow event, we generally focus our efforts towards collecting waste materials at curb side on roads that are passable. This may result in some areas not receiving collection services on their collection day.  These areas may be permitted to double their weekly limit the following week. A waste collection advisory will be placed on the City’s website at www.surrey.ca during these events. 

Also, it is important to ensure that waste materials at curb side are accessible to the waste collection crews during snow events. In this regard, please refrain from placing your materials behind snow banks.

Report a Collection Problem

To report a waste collection problem, please contact the Garbage & Recycling Hotline at 604-590-7289 between the business hours of 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday through Friday, excluding Statutory holidays. Alternatively, you can email us by clicking here.

Please note that if your waste materials were missed, please contact the Garbage & Recycling Hotline within 24 hours. Failure to report a missed collection within this time frame may result in your missed garbage, recycling or yard waste materials not being collected.