Waste & Recycling in Prince George, BC: Your Essential Guide

Understanding Waste Management in Prince George

Moving to a new city involves understanding its local services, and waste management is a crucial one. In Prince George, the largest city in northern British Columbia, waste and recycling services are primarily managed by the City of Prince George, often in collaboration with the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George and Recycle BC. This guide will provide you with a thorough overview of how to manage your household waste, ensuring a smooth transition into your new community.

The City of Prince George is committed to environmental stewardship and offers a robust system for garbage collection, recycling, and various specialised waste disposal options. Familiarising yourself with these services is key to contributing to a cleaner, greener Prince George. Whether it’s understanding your collection schedule or knowing where to drop off hazardous materials, this guide has you covered.

Collection Schedules: Garbage, Recycling, and Organics

Residential waste collection in Prince George operates on a structured schedule, ensuring regular pickup of both garbage and recycling. Understanding your specific collection day and frequency is the first step to proper waste management.

Curbside Collection Frequency

In Prince George, residential garbage and recycling are collected on a bi-weekly basis (City of Prince George). This means that one week your garbage will be collected, and the following week your recycling will be collected, alternating throughout the year. It is essential to place your carts at the curb by 7:00 AM on your designated collection day.

Finding Your Collection Day

The City of Prince George provides an easy-to-use online tool to determine your specific collection schedule. You can look up your address to view your personalised calendar for garbage and recycling pickups. This tool is invaluable for new residents to quickly integrate into the local waste system.

• Online Lookup Tool: Visit the City of Prince George’s Recycling and Waste page and use the “Collection Schedule Lookup” feature by entering your address.

Garbage Cart Guidelines

For garbage collection, residents are provided with a standard cart. There are specific rules regarding the amount and type of waste accepted:

• Each household is permitted to place a maximum of two standard garbage bags (up to 80 litres each) inside their cart.
• The maximum weight for each bag or the entire cart should not exceed 20 kg.
• Excess garbage or bags placed outside the cart will not be collected. For additional waste, residents may need to purchase tags for extra bags or utilise the regional landfill.

Organics Collection

Currently, Prince George does not have a municipal curbside organics collection program for food waste. Residents are encouraged to manage food waste through backyard composting or by disposing of it with regular garbage. However, yard waste collection is available seasonally, which we will discuss later.

What Goes in Which Bin: Sorting Guidelines

Proper sorting is fundamental to Prince George’s waste management strategy. The City, in partnership with Recycle BC, provides clear guidelines on what materials are accepted in your recycling cart and what must go into your garbage or be taken to a depot. The “What Goes Where” tool is an excellent resource for any sorting questions.

Recycling Cart: Accepted Materials

Your blue recycling cart is for designated recyclable materials. It is crucial to ensure items are clean, empty, and dry. Do not bag your recyclables; place them loosely in the cart. The following items are generally accepted in your curbside recycling cart (City of Prince George):

• Paper Products: Newspapers, magazines, catalogues, junk mail, paper bags, flattened cardboard (no larger than 75 cm x 75 cm), paperboard (e.g., cereal boxes), and paper egg cartons.
• Plastic Containers: Plastic bottles, jugs, and tubs (e.g., yogurt containers, margarine tubs, detergent bottles) with the numbers 1, 2, 4, and 5. Rinse them clean.
• Metal Containers: Aluminum and tin cans (e.g., pop cans, food cans). Rinse them clean.
• Glass Bottles and Jars: Clear and coloured glass bottles and jars (e.g., food jars, beverage bottles). Rinse them clean and remove lids. Note: Glass is often collected separately at depots due to breakage risks. Check the “What Goes Where” tool for current curbside acceptance.

Items NOT Accepted in Curbside Recycling

Placing non-recyclable items in your cart can contaminate the entire load, leading to more waste going to the landfill. Avoid putting the following in your curbside recycling:

• Soft Plastics: Plastic bags, plastic film, overwrap, and foam packaging (e.g., Styrofoam). These are collected at specific depots.
• Glass: While some glass jars are accepted, items like drinking glasses, ceramics, window glass, and mirrors are not.
• Electronics and Batteries: These contain hazardous materials and require special drop-off.
• Hazardous Waste: Paint, chemicals, motor oil, and medical waste.
• Food Waste: No food scraps or compostable materials.
• Diapers, clothing, garden hoses, or construction waste.

For detailed information on specific items, use the City’s “What Goes Where” search tool.

Drop-off Depots: Specialised Waste Disposal

For items not accepted in curbside collection, Prince George offers several drop-off options, including the Regional Landfill and various recycling depots. These facilities handle everything from large appliances to hazardous waste and electronics.

Regional Landfill and Transfer Stations

The Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill is the primary facility for disposing of non-recyclable waste and larger items. There are also transfer stations in other parts of the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George.

• Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill: Located at 6595 Foothills Boulevard. Operating hours are typically 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, seven days a week, with some exceptions for holidays. Fees apply for most disposals.
• Accepted Items: General garbage, construction and demolition waste, large appliances (some may have a recycling fee), mattresses, and furniture.

Hazardous Waste Disposal

Hazardous waste cannot be placed in your regular garbage or recycling due to environmental and safety risks. The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George organises special collection events for household hazardous waste, typically once or twice a year. Check the City’s website for upcoming dates and accepted materials.

• Common Hazardous Waste: Paints, solvents, pesticides, cleaning products, automotive fluids, and aerosols.

Electronics (E-waste) and Batteries

Electronics and batteries contain valuable materials that can be recycled and harmful substances that must be kept out of landfills. These items are accepted at designated depots.

• Electronics: Recycle My Electronics (Recycle My Electronics) provides a list of authorised collection sites in Prince George for items like computers, TVs, printers, and audio equipment.
• Batteries: Call2Recycle (Call2Recycle) offers drop-off locations for rechargeable and single-use batteries at various retail outlets across the city.

Appliance and Mattress Recycling

Large appliances (like fridges, stoves, washers) and mattresses can often be recycled. While some may be accepted at the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill for a fee, specialised recycling programs or private businesses may offer more cost-effective or convenient options. It’s advisable to check with local scrap metal dealers or mattress recycling facilities for current services and charges.

Yard Waste & Seasonal Services

Managing yard waste is an important part of maintaining your property in Prince George. The City provides options for disposing of garden trimmings, leaves, and other organic yard materials.

Yard Waste Drop-off

The Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill accepts yard and garden waste year-round (City of Prince George). This includes grass clippings, leaves, branches (up to a certain diameter), and other plant material. There may be a fee for disposal, especially for larger loads.

Seasonal Programs

The City of Prince George often organises seasonal programs to assist residents with specific waste types:

• Leaf Collection: While not a regular curbside service, the City may announce specific dates or locations for leaf drop-off during the autumn months.
• Christmas Tree Chipping: After the holiday season, residents can typically drop off natural Christmas trees at designated locations for chipping, usually in early January (City of Prince George).
• Bulk Item Pickup: Currently, there is no regular municipal bulk item pickup service in Prince George. Residents are responsible for transporting large items to the landfill or arranging for private removal.

Recycle BC and Return-It Bottle Depots

Beyond curbside collection, British Columbia has robust provincial recycling programs for packaging and beverage containers, managed by Recycle BC and Return-It.

Recycle BC Depots

Recycle BC is responsible for residential packaging and paper recycling throughout BC. While many items are collected curbside, some materials, particularly flexible plastics and foam packaging, are only accepted at Recycle BC depots. These depots also accept all curbside materials, offering an alternative if you miss your collection day or have excess recyclables.

• Accepted at Depots (beyond curbside): Plastic bags and overwrap, foam packaging (e.g., Styrofoam), glass bottles and jars (all types), and other flexible plastic packaging.
• Finding a Depot: Use the Recycle BC depot finder to locate the nearest facility in Prince George. There are typically multiple locations, often integrated with Return-It centres.

Return-It Bottle Depots

The Return-It system manages the collection and recycling of beverage containers in British Columbia, offering a deposit-refund system. When you purchase a beverage, you pay a small deposit, which is refunded when you return the empty container to a Return-It depot.

• Accepted Containers: Most ready-to-drink beverage containers, including plastic bottles, aluminum cans, glass bottles, and juice boxes.
• Finding a Depot: Locate your nearest Return-It depot in Prince George using their online search tool. Prince George has several convenient locations, such as the Prince George Bottle Depot on Queensway and the Nechako Bottle Depot on Vellencher Road.

Composting & Backyard Organics

While Prince George does not currently offer a municipal curbside food waste collection program, backyard composting is highly encouraged as an effective way to reduce household waste and create nutrient-rich soil for your garden.

Benefits of Backyard Composting

• Waste Reduction: Diverts food scraps and yard waste from the landfill, reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Soil Enrichment: Produces valuable compost that improves soil structure, fertility, and water retention in gardens.
• Cost Savings: Reduces the amount of garbage you need to dispose of, potentially saving on landfill fees or extra bag tags.

What to Compost

You can compost a wide variety of organic materials:

• “Green” Materials: Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, grass clippings.
• “Brown” Materials: Dry leaves, shredded paper, wood chips, small twigs.

Avoid composting meat, dairy products, oily foods, and pet waste, as these can attract pests and create odours.

Composting Resources

The City of Prince George and local gardening groups may offer resources or workshops on backyard composting. You can find general composting guides from organisations like the City of Prince George or provincial environmental agencies.

Reporting Missed Pickup

Occasionally, a scheduled garbage or recycling pickup might be missed. If your carts were at the curb by 7:00 AM on your collection day and were not emptied, you can report a missed pickup to the City of Prince George.

How to Report a Missed Pickup

1. Verify Schedule: Double-check your collection schedule using the City’s online lookup tool to ensure you haven’t made a mistake with the day.
2. Check Guidelines: Confirm that your carts met all the placement and content guidelines (e.g., not overweight, correct items in recycling).
3. Contact the City: If all conditions were met, you can report the missed collection directly to the City of Prince George. The City’s Recycling and Waste page provides contact information or an online form for reporting such issues. It is recommended to report a missed pickup within 24 to 48 hours of your scheduled collection.

By following these guidelines, you can ensure your waste and recycling are managed efficiently and responsibly in Prince George, contributing to the community’s environmental health and sustainability.