Index
Vancouver BC recycling resources and information:
Don't chuck it in the trash; give it away, sell it to someone, find another use for it, recycle it or make it in to art. There are many options other than putting it in a giant pile along with lots of other unwanted stuff. Ideally things should be built so they can be repaired, reused or recycled and landfill becomes a thing of the past. It's entirely possible, but it is dependent on the choices we make.
Recycling raw materials:
- Unplugged - Small Appliance Recycling Program. Funded by a tax on new products brought in to BC.
- The City Transfer Station is located not too far from Marine Drive and Oak. Enter via West Kent Ave heading West - e.g. go south on Main St and take a right at the end. Recycle bins are located on the right. Newsprint should not be bundled (e.g. with string or twine). Corrigated cardboard should be seperated. They will only accept half a sheet (4'x4') of drywall. I'd be interested to know what happens to these materials.
- Vancouver City Landfill has a list of a alternative disposal locations: here
- Metro Vancouver maintains a comprehensive database of recycling options: here
- Recycling council of British Columbia: here
- Pacific Mobile Depots will accept many items that are not accepted elsewhere, such as Styrofoam and Soft Plastics. They pick up once a month from the Presentation House Theatre in North Van, Britannia Community Center in East Van, Place Maillardville in Coquitlam and various locations in Victoria. Homepage
- Recycling for buildings: Fresh Start Recycling
Recycle things that can still be used:
- Donate bottles, clothes and houseware to a support the Developmental Disabilities Association who provide community based resources to people with developmental disabilities in Vancouver and Richmond. They have a relationship with Value Village for reselling clothes and housewares. Find a bin here: locate-a-bin
- Habitat for Humanity receives donated building materials and sells them to the public. Donated materials come from building sites, film sets and people's reno's. Fantastic resource for getting materials for projects. homepage
- Whats better than recycling? Freecycling! homepage - sign up for the local mailing list and set your email filters to put the freecycle mails in to their own folder. An amazing amount of stuff goes through this system. Reply to emails promptly to receive stuff as it goes quickly. Post stuff you want to get rid of.
- Vancouver Craigslist is a good resource for buying and selling stuff. Make some money from your junk!
- Drop stuff off at local thrift stores or charities: Value Village, Salvation Army.
What to do with Computer Equipment:
- FreeGeek's goal is to keep computer equipment within the boundaries of Canada. They have 5 full time staff and over 2000 volunteers who fix donated computers and make them available to non-profit organizations (don't have to be registered). They have an education program to teach people how to take apart and build computers. They are located near the north end of commercial drive. Pull in around the back to the loading back off the alley if you are dropping stuff off. Directions, Hours of operation, contact information all that fun stuff can be found on their website: freegeekvancouver.org
- The Electronics Recycling Association will recieve laptops and computers at Stapes in Park Royal, West Vancouver
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