The long-awaited recycling facility that will replace services once offered at the New Westminster recycling depot is set to open next week.
Metro Vancouver has announced the new $77.6-million United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Centre will open on March 14.
Located at 995 United Blvd. in Coquitlam, this one-stop drop-off facility will accept a wide range of recyclables, including: glass; yard trimmings and food waste; plastic containers and bags; batteries, electronics and light fixtures; used automotive oil, antifreeze, and oil containers; clothing and textiles; books, magazines and other paper; and yard trimmings and food waste.
“We are already a North American leader in waste reduction and recycling with a 64% diversion rate,” Jack Froese, chair of Metro Vancouver’s Zero Waste committee, said in a news release. “This new facility, serving approximately 200,000 customers per year, will make it easier and more accessible to recycle all kinds of items, and will help us reach our regional goal of an 80% recycling rate.”
The facility will replace the nearby Coquitlam Recycling and Waste Centre, which will close at the end of the day on March 12. The United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Centre will be three times larger than the existing facility.
In 2019, New Westminster city council, at a closed meeting, decided to close the recycling depot at Sixth and McBride and partner with the Tri-Cities on a regional facility on United Boulevard. The city stated the space was needed for parking for the new təməsew̓txʷ Aquatics and Community Centre, which is now under construction.
Some residents supported the city’s plan, saying recycling isn’t a priority compared to other initiatives related to fighting climate change and noting that many of the items that were collected at the recycling depot can be collected curbside, eliminated or taken to other locations in the city.
Many residents, however, opposed the city’s plan, with more than 1,400 people signing a petition opposing the closure of the local recycling depot. Opponents expressed concern about having to go to Coquitlam to access the recycling depot.
When the city decided to partner with Metro Vancouver on the new facility, it was intended to open at the end of 2020. Since the New Westminster recycling depot closed in March 2020, the city has held a series of pop-up recycling events where residents could recycle items not accepted in recycling bins, like glass.
In October 2021, the city announced it would launch a curbside glass collection program as part of the city’s recycling services. The collection of glass packaging, such as jam and sauce jars, is intended to reduce contamination in recycling streams and fill a gap left by the closure of the recycling depot.
“It’s anticipated that curbside residential glass collection will commence July this year and multi-family residents can expect glass collection to be added to their collection service later in the year,” said Kristian Davis, superintendent of the city’s solid waste and recycling branch. “The city is currently working to procure collection equipment. More information will be provided to residents through brochures that will be mailed out this spring ahead of delivery of new grey boxes for glass collection.”
The Record’s sister publication, the Tri-City News, got a sneak peak of the United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Centre during a recent tour. Stay tuned for a story with more details about the facility.
The United Boulevard Recycling and Waste Centre will be open 363 days a year (closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). A complete list of accepted items, including free items and recycling fees, is found at www.tinyurl.com/MVRecycling.
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