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City updates residents on delayed waste collections

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed August 19, 2019 3:31 PM

Summary

In recent weeks, there have been some delays to waste collection services. A combination of mechanical issues and additional pressures on the sanitation section caused the delays and City sanitation crews worked over the weekend to get collections back on schedule.

In the last two years, the City has experienced unprecedented growth. In the past year alone, 1,100 new collections have been added to routes. Currently, eight trucks service nearly 30,000 homes. To address this, a new waste collection truck has been ordered and is due to come into service mid-2020. In the meantime, staff are working to schedule vehicle repairs in a way that will minimize lost working time.

Residents are reminded that waste reduction efforts are more important than ever as our population continues to increase. For more information on collection and schedules, visit the Garbage Calendar page on the City website (www.nanaimo.ca) or download the free Nanaimo Recycles app.

Link to Strategic Plan: The City's automated solid waste collection service supports the City's ongoing commitment to environmental sustainability.

Key Points

  • An increase in delayed collections in recent weeks has been resolved and collections are now back on track.
  • The City provides waste collection service alerts through our app "Nanaimo Recycles" which is available to download from Google Play and the Apple iStore. If you do not have a smartphone, we can sign you up to receive service alerts and collection reminders on your home phone. Please call 250-758-5222 to sign up.
  • When experiencing collection delays, collection crews will always attempt collection either in the evening of the day of your scheduled collection or on the following day.

Quotes

"I would like to thank residents who have experienced delayed collections for their patience and apologize for the inconvenience this has caused. We understand it is frustrating to have your collection delayed. As you can imagine, when city growth is unexpectedly off the charts as we are experiencing in Nanaimo, we are left having to collect more waste with the same number of vehicles. Add to that a couple of breakdowns in the fleet and the result is that we fall behind in our collections. We are working hard to build capacity in our operations by servicing our vehicles more effectively and adding to our existing fleet."

Charlotte Davis
Manager of Sanitation, Recycling and Public Works Administration.
City of Nanaimo

Quick Facts

  • Since the introduction of automated collection, the City has been successful in reducing worker injuries by over 90%.
  • The new automated waste collection fleet has reduced annual carbon emissions by an estimated 160 tonnes CO2e. This has been achieved by switching from diesel power to natural gas and also by utilizing split bodied vehicles meaning that each home only needs to be attended to once instead of twice per collection cycle.
  • The City provides collection to over 29,200 homes in Nanaimo.
  • Residents in Nanaimo are excellent recyclers; we have the third highest diversion rate in all of BC! The average BC resident throws 506kg of waste to landfill annually where as the average Nanaimo resident disposes of 384kg.
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Contact:

Charlotte Davis
Manager of Sanitation, Recycling and Public Works Administration.
City of Nanaimo
250-758-5222

Print News Release

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