Common Questions

When is my collection for curbside waste?

Our calendar is shared at the top of our waste collection page here: www.kitimat.ca/waylesswaste.

The calendar will show:

• Your regular garbage collection days
• Your recycling collection days
• Your seasonal yard waste collection days

Food waste is collected each and every week on your regular collection day.

I’m unsure what is and is not collected in my recycling, how do I find out more?

We collect items approved through RecycleBC for curbside collection.

The easiest places to find more information is:

• The RecycleCoach app or website. This service is free and is linked to Kitimat, showing you what is accepted (just type in your item and it will show you), and the app will remind you of your collection days too. Link: https://www.recyclecoach.com
• View the list of materials at RecycleBC’s website. Link: https://recyclebc.ca/what-can-i-recycle

Garbage should be collected more frequently because we are a community with a lot of bears. Will you pick up garbage weekly again?

Bears want into your garbage because they think there might be food in there if there’s a smell to it. The smell comes from food waste which should be diverted to your food waste bin. We collect food waste each week.

Other items, including recycling, should be rinsed of any food residue before putting them to the curb.

How do I replace my curbside bins?

Residents are responsible for their own curbside bins.

Locally, Kitimat Understanding the Environment (KUTE) can sell replacement food and recycling bins. Visit their website for contact information: www.kitimatrecycle.ca.

There are an assortment of retailers where you can find replacement garbage and recycling bins as well. Just ensure your bins are within the allowable size of containers.

I have a concern about my garbage collection, who do I contact?

Curbside waste collection is contracted to a third party, but it may be simplest to reach out to the District of Kitimat and we can help resolve any concern you may have.

Phone our offices at 250-632-8900 and ask to speak to someone regarding curbside waste, or email waylesswaste@kitimat.ca.

Please reach out to learn more about any concerns, such as:

• Missed collection from the curb.
• A notice that your bin was too heavy.
• A notice of unaccepted materials in a bin.

Will you ever accept glass, or other items currently not accepted like soft plastic?

It is certainly possible that additional items could one day be added to curbside recycling, but glass is a difficult one in the system currently used by Kitimat.

Glass can easily break and mix with other materials and is a safety hazard for the collectors who handle the waste. Kitimat does not have an automated, mechanical pick-up service as some communities do meaning collecting glass is more hazardous here than in those places.

Soft plastics as well are currently not well compatible with the collection trucks, and these must continue to be returned to the KUTE recycling depot directly.

Where do I put kitty litter or other pet waste?

These items are considered garbage. Please ensure they are bagged and placed in your garbage bin.

How do I receive my four free landfill passes?

Residential landfill passes waive the minimum tipping fee for the Kitimat Landfill and are mailed to all eligible homeowners at the start of the year. In 2024 and in 2025, Council has approved each eligible recipient to receive four passes for the year.

These are only delivered once and cannot be re-issued or replaced.

Why have we implemented fees at the landfill when it had always been free before?

For a long time this is how the landfill operated:

• Property taxes include a distinct charge for the collection of waste from the curb.
• The operation of the landfill, meanwhile, is largely paid for through general property taxes by all of Kitimat’s ratepayers.
• Any resident could show up to drop off their waste with no additional charge.

This process may have seemed simple but it hid some challenges:

• The landfill cannot live forever and is in fact fairly close to the end of its lifespan.
• The general cost of operating landfills has been increasing for a multitude of reasons, and the free extra use by some residents effectively adds more cost on to all of Kitimat’s taxpayers.

With that in mind, the addition of tipping fees addresses these challenges. It encourages more use of the curbside collection program – which diverts recycling and food waste away from the landfill helping it last longer – and it also helps recover the additional costs of managing waste from the users at the landfill itself.

I still have questions:

Call us: 250-632-8900
E-mail us: waylesswaste@kitimat.ca
Visit us: 270 City Centre (third floor of City Centre Mall)