Skip to content

Curbside collection days change for some in Surrey as a new waste contractor goes to work

Residents of Newton and South Surrey will see changes when GFL Environmental takes over from Waste Connections
32260030_web1_230330-SUL-GarbageContract-main_1
A GFL residential waste-collection truck, as pictured on the company’s Twitter account (@GFLenv).

“Garbage day” will be different for some Surrey residents when a new waste contractor goes to work next week.

For weekday curbside collection starting in April, Surrey council awarded a seven-year contract to GFL Environmental Inc. back in December 2021, but it’s taken more than a year for the Toronto-based company to assemble enough trucks to serve the city’s large geographic area.

Surrey’s residential waste-collection system involves close to 108,000 households and 35,000 apartment units.

In taking over from Waste Connections of Canada, GFL’s contract for the collection of organics, recycling and garbage is for an “annual base cost” of $17,622,447, according to a report to Surrey council.

Collection services will remain the same, with weekly organics and biweekly alternating garbage and recycling collection via fully automated waste carts.

“However,” says a news release from city hall, “there will be changes that some residents will experience with their collection day areas, primarily in Newton and South Surrey, to allow for enhanced waste collection service coverage to residents.”

Monday collection will now be done in the southwest corner of Newton and west side of South Surrey, while Tuesday service is scheduled in the southeast corner of Newton and east side of South Surrey.

Previously, Monday work was done in South Surrey alone, and Tuesday was reserved for Newton’s south end.

Story continues below maps.

Surrey’s new residential waste-collection map is shown at left, the old one, right. (Images: surrey.ca)
Surrey’s new residential waste-collection map is shown at left, the old one, right. (Images: surrey.ca)

Running both garbage and recycling streams on a weekly basis “provides more flexibility and adaptability to ensure optimal customer service and lessen the burden on disposal facilities with steadier weekly volumes,” explains a December 2021 report to city council.

“Organics will still be collected city-wide on a weekly basis,” the report adds. “While there will be changes to the collection zoning, we expect that it will not create significant issues for residents, and new boundaries will be communicated to residents.”

Also, a new recycling program is launched for furniture and other household goods collected through the city’s Large Item Pickup Program. For pickup of six large items per year, or eight for houses with a registered secondary suite, residents can book online at surrey.ca/largeitems.

The changes are outlined in a 20-page Sorting Guide and Collection Calendar delivered to homes and posted on surrey.ca/rethinkwaste. Residents can receive notifications by downloading a Rethink Waste App.

GFL’s new contract in Surrey requires its waste-collection trucks to be powered with RNG, or renewable natural gas, produced at the Surrey Biofuel Facility in Port Kells, “enabling the City to further reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions,” city hall says.

Waste Connections’ deal in Surrey was for a seven-year period ending in 2019, followed by a contract extension that lasts until March 31, 2023.

Last year, GFL Environmental was in some hot water for incidents in Abbotsford and Kimberley.

In September, the company was slapped with the biggest administrative penalty in WorkSafeBC history after work to clear the ruins of burned-out building in the Kootenays. WorkSafeBC issued a $710,488 fine against GFL after a worker at a Kimberley job site was found not wearing personal protective equipment while dealing with material assumed to be contaminated with asbestos.

In Abbotsford, a provincial inspection of a waste facility found toxic chemicals being discharged into a fish-bearing creek. GFL, under contract with the City of Abbotsford, was flagged by the Ministry of Environment on March 15, 2022 for its waste discharge into a ditch network that feeds Lonzo Creek.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

Like us on Facebook Follow us on Instagram and follow Tom on Twitter



Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
Read more