Recycling depot encouraging residents to be patient with weather-related delays in pickup

The high-traffic time for recycling just after the holidays, mixed with snowy, winter weather turned out to be a not-so good of a combination for Maple Ridge residents, with increased crowds at the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society’s depot, as well as delays in recycling pickup.

“Last week, the snowy weather and road conditions meant we weren’t able to pick up recycling on Thursday, Dec.30. We appreciate residents who held on to their recycling for this week or brought it to the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot,” said Leanne Koehn of the recycling society, adding that the weeks following Christmas are already their busiest time of the year, and the road conditions made it even more difficult.

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“The collections crew has already had a couple of late nights, sometimes finishing after dark, trying to pick up everyone’s recycling. Considering they start at 6:30am, that is a long day!” she said.

Koehn insisted that those who hadn’t yet signed up to be on the mailing list, should do so soon, so they get direct email alerts if anything would be affecting their pickup.

She however said that this year, having professional traffic controllers on site has helped manage lineup and keep the traffic calmer during the post-holiday rush.

As a reminder, she shared a few tips to make the next couple of weeks easier on everyone.

• Pre-sort your recycling at home: Going along the front line & emptying your recycling containers into the right bin is a LOT faster than having to stand and hand-sort a bag of mixed recycling on site.
• Remove all ribbons, bows, and non-paper wrap from your gift wrap BEFORE bringing it to the Recycling Depot. ONLY paper gift wrap is accepted in the paper & cardboard bins.
• Ask for help if you need it: Our front line staff are there to help you figure out what goes where!
• Come early, or later: Before 10 a.m. and after 3 p.m., things are a lot quieter and there will be shorter lineups – or none at all!

This year, the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society completes 50 years of serving the Maple Ridge community and as such, will soon be unveiling its 50th Anniversary plans throughout the year.

“We are also keeping our fingers crossed that the Celebrate Earth Day event and our Repair Cafés can be held in-person this year!” said Koehn.

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