Recycling

The app allows you to quickly:

• Find out what is and is not accepted in Delta's recycling program.
• Use our material search to find out where to take other recyclable or difficult-to-handle materials.
• View your collection calendar and set reminders so that you never miss another pickup.
• Find your closest recycling drop-off depot.
• Report a missed pickup, and more!

The app is currently available for Apple and Android smartphones and tablets. Try it today!

• Curbside recycling is collected weekly on the same day as garbage and Green Cans. Find your collection schedule here.
• Materials must be to the curb by 7 am on your collection day. Note, curbside material is not collected on Statutory holidays. In the event of a holiday, collections will be delayed by one day for that week only.

Live in a townhome? Check with your strata to confirm if you are part of the Shared or Curbside Collections program.

• Recycling material must be properly sorted and separated into Blue Boxes, Grey Boxes, and Yellow Bags for collection. Note, you can use more than one Blue Box, Grey Box, and/or Yellow Bag as well as old-style Yellow and Blue Bags if needed. Clear or translucent plastic bags containing recyclables are not accepted for collection – material must be placed loose in designated collection containers.
• Excess cardboard must be flattened, cut down, and bundled into piles no larger than 1m x 1m x 10 cm.
• Properties are permitted to set out unlimited amounts of residential recycling, provided that the materials are sorted into the appropriate container.

• Delta provides Blue Boxes, Grey Boxes, and Yellow Bags to residents at no charge. 

  New boxes and bags can be picked up at your nearest facility:

  • Ladner: City Hall (4500 Clarence Taylor Cres)
  • North Delta: North Delta Recreation Centre (11415 84 Ave)
  • Tsawwassen: South Delta Recreation Centre (1720 56 St)
• Make sure recycling boxes and bags are visible from the street and not placed in front of parked vehicles.

Most packaging and paper materials are now accepted for curbside collection or can be taken back to depots for recycling. A few packaging items are only accepted at depots, including plastic bags and foam containers. Download the full list of accepted materials HERE.

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Follow these simple tips to ensure your material is collected and can be recycled:

• Rinse all containers.
  Food residue left on containers can contaminate recyclables.
• Flatten all plastic and metal containers as well as cardboard boxes.
  Maximize space in your Blue Box and Bags as well as in the recycling truck.
• Seal shredded paper in a paper bag or cardboard box and place out beside recycling.
  Loose shredded paper can easily fall out of Yellow Bags and the recycling truck. 
• Do not put paper and cardboard in your Blue Box.
  Blue Boxes full of paper and cardboard are difficult to tip into trucks, and can become dangerously heavy for recycling crews to lift, particularly when material is wet. Paper and cardboard are accepted in the Yellow Bag for recycling.
• Place only loose containers in your Blue Box.
  Bagged containers cannot be opened at the recycling facility due to safety and contamination concerns.

Shared recycling is collected every week on the following days:

Mondays: complexes in Ladner
Wednesdays: complexes in Tsawwassen
Thursdays: complexes in North Delta

Following a statutory holiday, multi-family shared recycling collection will be delayed by one day for the remainder of that week only; regular collection days will resume the following week. For example: if Monday is a statutory holiday, Monday collection will be moved to Tuesday, Wednesday collection will be moved to Thursday, and Thursday collection will be moved to Friday.

Live in a townhome? Check with your strata to confirm if you are part of the Shared or Curbside Collections program.

• There is no limit to the amount of material collected for recycling. Materials must be properly sorted and placed in the provided collection bins.  
• Extra bins can be provided at no additional cost to the property. Please contact us to request new or replacement bins.
• Plastic bags containing recycling materials are not accepted for collection (place ALL material loose in the collection bins).
• You can drop off large amounts of recycling for free at all local recycling depots.

• Recycling bins are provided by Delta as part of our shared recycling program.
• Each complex will have a minimum of three bins: one for containers, one for mixed paper, and one for glass bottles and jars.
• Extra bins can be provided at no additional cost to the property. Please contact us to request new or replacement bins.
• Complexes are responsible for cleaning bins as needed. 

Most packaging and paper materials are now accepted for shared collection or can be taken back to depots for recycling. A few packaging items are only accepted at depots, including plastic bags and foam containers. Download the full list of accepted materials.

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Download or print the Shared Recycling Guide.

• Contact 604-946-3260 or engineering@delta.ca to apply for a voucher.
• Proof of residency is required. The individual applying for the voucher must be a resident of Delta and must be present at the Vancouver Landfill in order to use the voucher (photo ID required). 
• Vouchers are non-transferable. 
• Vouchers are only valid for the calendar year in which the application was made.
• Vouchers cannot be applied to previous transactions.

Questions? Contact us by phone at 604-946-3260 or by email at engineering@delta.ca.

Never throw batteries into the trash or regular blue recycling bins

• Batteries can cause sparks if they come into contact with debris.
• Lithium batteries can be damaged in garbage trucks and cause fires at waste processing centres.
• Batteries can overheat if left outdoors.
• Each year millions of household batteries end up in landfills where toxic metals could enter the waste stream and harm our environment.

By properly recycling household batteries, Canadians can help reuse these components, reduce the need for new raw materials, and help build a strong circular economy.

Residents can visit one of our city facilities to recycle their batteries in one of our Call2Recycle smart bins/box:

Locations: 

Tsawwassen:
Winskill Aquatic & Fitness Centre
South Delta Recreation Centre

Ladner:
City Hall (by Engineering front desk)
Ladner Leisure Centre

North Delta:
North Delta Recreation Centre
Sungod Recreation Centre
Kennedy Senior Centre

Single-Use and rechargeable batteries are both accepted.

Visit Call2Recycle’s website for more information and for a list of other participating locations. 

Recycle BC is the organization that runs the Extended Producer Responsibility program responsible for recycling packaging and paper products from residential properties. Funded by businesses that put packaging and paper into the marketplace, such as manufacturers, retailers, and restaurants, Recycle BC manages residential recycling for the majority of the province. To learn more about the organization, visit Recycle BC’s website.

Recycle BC requires glass to be collected separately from other recycling. Emptying glass into the truck can cause it to break and broken glass can contaminate other recycled materials. Small, broken glass is also difficult to separate from other materials at recycling facilities. Separating glass from other recyclables will help increase the amount of glass, and other material, actually recycled.

Recycle BC requires plastic bags and foam containers to be returned to depots for recycling.

When plastic bags are placed in your Blue Box, they can become tangled with other recycling material during collection. Foam can also become tangled as the containers tend to break down into small pieces. When this happens, recycling facilities are unable to separate the bags or foam pieces from the materials that they are tangled with, reducing the recyclability of all items collected. By taking plastic bags and foam containers to your nearest drop-off depot, you will ensure that bags, foam containers, and the materials that are still accepted in your Blue Box are recycled.

The following types of plastic bags and bag-like packaging should all be returned to your local recycling drop-off depot – these items are not accepted in the Blue Box:

• Plastic bags for groceries, dry cleaning, bread, newspapers, and flyers
• Bags for produce, dry bulk foods, pre-washed salad, and frozen vegetables
• Outer bags for diapers and feminine hygiene products, paper towels, tissues, and soft drink can flats
• Bags for water softener, salt, wood pellets, and garden products
• Overwrap on mattresses, furniture, and electronic equipment

Other types of soft, flexible plastic packaging should be returned to local drop-off depots. This type of material includes stand-up and zipper lock pouches, crinkly wrappers and bags, flexible packaging with seal, woven and net plastic bags, and non-food protective packaging. Learn more at RecycleBC.ca/FlexiblePackaging.

• Tsawwassen Return-It Centre (5636 12 Ave | 604-943-7661) 
• Ladner Bottle Depot (4930 Elliott St | 604-946-0309) 
• Scott Road Bottle Depot (12111 86 Ave | 604-543-0606) 
• Vancouver Landfill Recycling Depot (5400 72 St | 604-873-7000) 

A new Grey Box, larger Yellow Bag, and Collection Guide was delivered to every property in Delta that receives curbside recycling collection, including secondary suites! 

Properties with shared recycling (e.g. apartments, condos, float homes, and some townhomes) received a Glass Bin, new stickers for existing bins, and updated Collection Guides for all units.

While the Blue Bag is no longer needed with the Recycle BC program, you're encouraged to reduce waste and continue to use your existing Yellow and Blue Bag for all paper products (newspaper, mixed paper, and cardboard) until they wear out. When it is time to dispose of the bags, place them in your household garbage.