Why Your Trash Wasn’t Picked Up and What to Do Next

So, it happened again. The garbage truck skipped your house.  It’s not done maliciously, but there are several reasons why the curbside collection team in your neighborhood could be leaving you high and dry. Let’s break them down and help you figure out what steps to take to get your home back on the schedule. 

If you were missed, the following options are available to you:

• Take your garbage to the Creston Landfill (1501 Mallory Road) ($3 per container (first 4 containers) or $125/ tonne) Click here for RDCK Landfill User Fees OR if you can wait, purchase Food Waste/ Garbage Collection Tag(s) ($2 each from Town Hall) to put additional tagged food waste and/or garbage out for collection on your next collection day. 
• Take your recyclables to a recycling depot (Creston Recycling Depot @ 412 Helen Street, beside the carwash or the Creston Landfill and Recycling Depot @1501 Mallory Road). You will need to sort your materials at these recycling depots.  
• The transfer station for Food Waste at the Creston Landfill is also available to the public. If you miss your collection day, you can take your food waste to the Creston Landfill (1501 Mallory Road). Food Waste taken to the Landfill will be charged a per-container fee of $2 (up to 4x120L containers) Click here for RDCK Landfill User Fees.

 It might seem that Creston has some pretty finicky rules for picking up your trash.  

If you received a Oops sticker, here are some explanations as to why these rules are in place.

Each Owner or Occupier of a Curbside Household will be subject to the following limits per Curbside Household:

a) Food Waste in Town-owned Container:

Maximum of one (1) Food Waste Container containing a maximum of 18 Kg (40 lbs) of food waste every week;

b) Garbage in User-owned Container:

Maximum of one (1) One 23kg (50 lbs) 120L container or 2 Regular sized black garbage bags (65cm x 83cm) weighting approx. 11.5kg (25 lbs) each, every second week;

c) Recyclables in Town-owned Container: 

Unlimited Recyclables Containers containing a maximum of 18 Kg (40 lbs) each, every second week

Weight restrictions placed on containers like the Town supplied green carts and blue boxes are the maximum recommended weight for the container, as identified by the manufacture. To ensure that these containers achieve their maximum useful life expectancy, 18 Kg (40 lbs) should be the maximum weight placed in these bins.  

The maximum weight for regular sized black garbage bags (65cm x 83cm) is 11.5kg (25 lbs) each.  This weight is a practical limit considering that this size and type of bag is more likely to fail if filled above this weight.  Also, 2 of these bags placed in a 120L container will weight 23kg (50 lbs) which is the maximum container weight allowed under Creston’s curbside collection service.

Why is 23kg (50 lbs) the maximum container weight?  

Recognizing that excessive force used during lift and lower tasks can result in injury, this weight is viewed as the ABSOLUTE MAXIMUM weight that nearly all workers can repeatedly lift or lower without developing lower back or shoulder injuries (WorkSafe BC).  UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE will any waste containers (food, recycling, garbage or yard waste) be collected if it exceeds 23kg (50 lbs)! 

IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT INDIVIDUAL CONTAINERS DO NOT EXCEED 23kg (50 lbs)!

2. You Put Out Unacceptable Items

Although you may be ready to kick some items to the curb, your curbside collection team may be less willing. In fact, there are a few items that Tip-It Waste Solutions won’t pick up like: 

Items like: dirt, concrete and bricks, batteries, hazardous materials, large home renovation items, bricks, cinderblocks, large rocks, and generally any single object weighing more than ten (10) kilograms or measuring more than one meter (in size in any direction) are considered Prohibited Materials and will not be collected. 

A detailed description of what are considered unacceptable materials for Garbage Collection are outlined in Schedule ‘B’ – Prohibited Materials which is attached to Creston’s Solid Waste Management and Curbside Collection Regulations Bylaw No 1959, 2022.

Newspapers, pop cans and cardboard are not garbage and should be placed at the curb, in your blue box, on recycling days, see Schedule ‘A’ – Acceptable Waste for what is considered recyclable material.

Food Wastes are not garbage and should be placed at the curb, in your Green Bin, on recycling days, see Schedule ‘A’ – Acceptable Waste for what is considered Food Waste.

Leaves and other yard waste are not garbage and can be taken to the Creston Landfill (1501 Mallory Road) at any time during their normal operating hours. Yard waste taken to the landfill will be charged at the going rate for ‘Yard and Garden Waste’.  Effective January 2022, this rate is $2 per 120L container (first 2 containers) Click here for RDCK Landfill User Fees.

Grass clippings are also not garbage and will only be collected with yard waste in spring and fall - see the on-line collection calendar for these dates. Grass clippings can be taken to the Creston Landfill and will be charged at the going rate for ‘Yard and Garden Waste’.

Prohibited materials include but are not limited to the following: 

· Recyclables (refer to Schedule ‘A’ – Acceptable Waste); 

· Yard waste (refer to Schedule ‘A’ – Acceptable Waste); 

· Garbage; 

· Plastic bags; 

· Plastic or nylon tea-bags or coffee filters; 

· Plastic biodegradable or plastic compostable bags;

A detailed description of what are considered unacceptable materials for Food Waste Collection are outlined in Schedule ‘B’ – Prohibited Materials which is attached to Creston’s Solid Waste Management and Curbside Collection Regulations Bylaw No 1959, 2022.

• Unacceptable Materials for Recyclable Collection:

Prohibited materials include but are not limited to the following:

• Food waste (refer to Schedule ‘A’ – Acceptable Waste);
• Yard waste (refer to Schedule ‘A’ – Acceptable Waste);
• Garbage;
• Category 4 – Polyethylene (PE) Film Packaging, i.e. Plastic bags; and
• Category 5 - Polystyrene (PS) Foam Packaging, i.e. Styrofoam and foam packaging;
• Category 8 – Glass Packaging, i.e. Glass materials. 

A detailed description of what are considered unacceptable materials for Recyclable Collection are outlined in Schedule ‘B’ – Prohibited Materials which is attached to Creston’s Solid Waste Management and Curbside Collection Regulations Bylaw No 1959, 2022.

All garbage must be placed in plastic bags and securely tied, even if it is in garbage cans. Do NOT place loose waste in your garbage bin, any loose garbage will not be collected. Thank you for your cooperation.

Loose garbage is unsafe as it could injure workers.

Creston’s Solid Waste Management and Curbside Collection Regulations Bylaw No 1959, 2022 identifies the following:

5.7 Container Usage Regulations

5.7.1 Container usage must comply with the following regulations:

p) All material placed in Garbage Containers must be bagged. Loose material, even if contained within a Garbage Container, will not be collected.

Garbage bins with un-bagged or loose items will not be collected.

4. The Tip-It Waste Solutions Adjusted Their Calendar

While Tip-It Waste Solutions usually works on stat holidays, in some situations Tip-It may elect to follows the same holidays as the federal government. If your trash wasn’t picked up as expected, it may be due to a holiday. Tip-It would simply adjust their calendar to the following day for pickup. If your garbage, recycling or food waste was not picked up, and your collection day was a holiday, please call Tip-It at (250) 428-9887 ext. 3.  

Please use the Calendar App Tool (scroll down on this linked page) for an annual schedule, so you don’t miss important off days. 

Is your trash still lingering, but your neighbor’s bin is long gone? This could be a sign that the garbage truck didn’t have proper access to your bins. If the truck is blocked by other cars, large snow piles, or is not located within reaching distance of the road, the truck may skip your home.

Creston’s Solid Waste Management and Curbside Collection Regulations Bylaw No 1959, 2022 identifies the following:

5.7 Container Usage Regulations

5.7.1 Container usage must comply with the following regulations:

b) For collection purposes, all Containers must be placed next to the lane, or boulevard adjacent to their premises, or at a place designated by the Director of Infrastructure Services, or designate.

c) For collection purposes, all Containers shall be placed as close as possible to the curb, or where no curb exists, the edge of the road area without obstructing vehicle or pedestrian traffic.

If Tip-it Waste Solutions misses your house, and your circumstances don’t match any of the above, it’s time to connect with Tip-It Waste Solutions at (250) 428-9887 ext. 3 and get some answers.