New Westminster – The City of New Westminster is proud to announce a major milestone in its ongoing waste reduction efforts: the significant reduction in curbside residential recycling contamination and its official exit from Recycle BC's curbside contamination reduction program. This achievement reflects the community's dedication to "Recycle Right" and their support for the City’s efforts to improve local waste diversion.

In 2021, the City introduced its Contamination Reduction Plan to improve local recycling habits and avoid fines of up to $480,000 per year for exceeding the contamination limits set by Recycle BC. Through targeted education, new cart lid labels, and a residential recycling cart audit program, residents learned proper recycling practices and helped lower contamination rates to meet provincial standards. This ensures the City’s curbside recycling program remains affordable, effective, and environmentally responsible.

Recycling becomes contaminated when items that are not accepted in curbside collection are placed in recycling carts. These materials cannot be processed properly and can cause entire loads of otherwise recyclable material to be sent to landfill.

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