By Pete McIntyre

Recycling group apologizes for missed pickups

Jan 23, 2020 | 5:00 PM

Recycle B.C. says a series of events have led to delayed recycling pickups in Greater Vernon — but the issues should be resolved by the end of this week.

Dave Lefebvre, spokesperson for Recycle B.C., says severe weather conditions and mechanical issues with trucks over the last month have led to some residents missing their collections twice.

“We apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. We’re working really closely with our contracted collector to make sure the collection schedule returns to normal,” Lefebve told Vernon Matters.

Lefebve says several collection trucks slid into ditches the last few weeks and mechanical issues sidelined trucks used by Emterra, the contracted collector.

“When a collection is missed, that creates further pressure and it becomes an even greater challenge to get caught up. And so what we’ve had in the North Okanagan, is a situation where for some residents, collections have actually been missed twice. And to that extent, we obviously appreciate that’s a huge inconvenience for people.”

Charger rollout

Phased approach planned for EV chargers at Vernon ALC

7h ago

Secondary Dwellings

Coldstream considering more housing on agricultural lands

9h ago

Wildfire Risks

Okanagan's Fire Danger Rating already up to Moderate

Apr 23, 2026

Lefebve says Emterra has added extra trucks and has ten staff on the road this week.

“That’s more than double the normal staff they would have, and that’s really in an effort to get the collection schedule back to normal.”

Lefebve says an extra collection day has been added this Saturday to make up for any houses that still have not had their recyclables picked up.

He advises people to download the Recycle BC app to get the latest on any collection changes.

“That app is absolutely key in situations like this because we communicate to residents via notifications through that app. So when there is a disruption to the collection service, we will send out a notification to the particular area with some instructions which may say ‘ please set out your recycling the following day’ or they may say ‘hold onto your materials and we will collect it on the next collection day.'”

Recycle BC is a not-for-profit organization responsible for residential packaging and paper product recycling throughout British Columbia, servicing over 1.8 million households or over 98% of BC.

“Our program is funded by businesses, like retailers, manufacturers and restaurants that supply packaging and paper product to BC residents, shifting costs away from homeowners,” added Lefebve.

by Pete McIntyre

View Comments