ReThink waste program starts October 1st for Surrey residents

Surrey residents don't forget to start using your new garbage cans and pay attention to your waste collection schedule. Garbage and recycling will only be picked up every other week and your green waste will be picked up every week.

Surrey's goal is to divert 70% of the city's waste by 2015 with this new program. In order to do this the pilot program they held last year was tested and is now being implememented across the city as of next Monday October 1, 2012.  

For more details on the new program and which bins to put out next week, visit Surrey's ReThink Waste website:

http://www.surrey.ca/rethinkwaste/

I have read some articles this week and had some discussion around the office and everyone's concern is about the garbage attracting rodents and being a nasty mess.... The green garbage will be picked up every week, just as it has been in the past. The smell and concern of rodents shouldn't be any more than it was before. As for your actual garbage, if residents follow the guidelines then the little garbage each home has should be clean (so to be speak) garbage, as all your food waste garbage will be in the green waste bin.

The new bins aren't the only change the city is making to help our environment. Our garbage will now be collected with new state of the art Compressed Natural Gas Trucks that emit less carbon and air particles compared to the diesel trucks. One of these trucks alone will be like taking 475 cars off the road each year.

This is a huge step in the right direction and it is about time that we start planning for our children's future and their children's future. If we don't start taking steps now to reduce our waste and carbon footprint, I cannot imagine what our community will be like in 10 - 25 years... 

As much as the garbage bins are unsightly, so is the garbage that gets torn apart and strewn all over the place when people don't use bins.

At the end of the day, what is more important to you? Doing something to help improve our environment and ultimately the beauty of the province we live in. Or, letting our community and thus environment go by continuing to dispose of waste in landfill sites. Change is good! Let's embrace it!