Vancouver opens Zero Waste Centre

The city of Vancouver, British Columbia, has officially opened its newest recycling center. Called the Zero Waste Centre, it replaces an older recycling depot the city formerly operated near a transfer station.

“Our new Zero Waste Centre offers residents a better facility with more space and easier access to drop off their recyclable materials,” says Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson.

“We’ve also expanded the list of items we can accept from residents to include cooking oils, electronic items, small tools and even bicycles that can be refurbished,” Robertson continues. “Vancouver is leading Canadian cities in going green, and that includes the efforts of many Vancouverites to recycle. Our new Zero Waste Centre will help us become the world’s greenest city by making it easier — and in many cases, free — for residents to do their part and recycle or reuse more materials than ever before.”

Over the past eight years, the city of Vancouver has reduced the amount of waste it produces by about 23 percent. Further, the recycling rate for single-family homes has increased to 66 percent and to 29 percent for multifamily buildings in 2016, according to the city.

The cost of construction for the new Zero Waste Centre was about CA$2 million ($1.5 million).