Garbage, Recycling & Organics

Three carts, three streams, one truck. Here's how to do it right.

Collection lookup

When is my garbage day?

Pick your neighbourhood. You get your collection zone, the next four pickups with what goes out on each one, any statutory holiday that moves a day, and a full year of dates for your calendar.

Your neighbourhood or area

Twelve areas across five collection zones. Not sure which one you are in? Civic Works can tell you from your address at 250-555-0140.

Collection day appears here

Every address in Silvermere sits in one of five zones, A through E, collected Monday through Friday.

A collection day that lands on a BC statutory holiday moves one day later that week. Any that apply are called out here.

Choose your neighbourhood to download twelve months of collection dates. Report a missed pickup.

Cart

Garbage

Collected every other week, alternating with recycling.

Cart

Recycling

Alternate-week pickup with sorting rules that keep loads clean.

Cart

Organics

Weekly pickup, set out safely during bear season.

Collection schedule

Silvermere’s curbside collection runs on a three-stream system. Each home gets three carts.

Organics (green lid, 240 litres), collected weekly. Food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard trimmings, and garden waste.
Recycling, collected bi-weekly. Separated into two categories: containers and mixed paper.
Garbage (dark grey lid, 120 litres), collected bi-weekly. Anything that does not belong in the other two streams.

Recycling and garbage alternate weeks, so every home gets a pickup of each every second week. The alternation runs continuously and never resets at the start of a year.

Five zones, Monday to Friday

The city is divided into five collection zones, A through E. Zone A is collected Monday, Zone B Tuesday, and so on through Zone E on Friday. Your zone depends on your neighbourhood, and it does not change. The lookup at the top of this page will tell you yours and put a year of dates in your calendar.

Statutory holidays

When a collection day lands on a BC statutory holiday, that week’s pickup moves one day later. A Wednesday zone is collected Thursday that week, a Friday zone on Saturday. The following week goes back to normal, and no pickup is ever skipped. Holiday moves are already built into the lookup and into the calendar download.

How to set out your carts

The collection truck uses a mechanical arm to grab and tip each cart. That means cart placement matters.

Set the carts so they face out toward the street, with the wheels against the curb.
Space carts 1 metre away from each other, 2 metres from cars, and leave 3 metres of clear space above the closed lid.
Place carts out between 4:00 am and 7:00 am on collection day. Not the night before.
Unclip the wildlife clips on your organics and garbage carts so the arm can lift them.

Two close-up photos of green organics carts. The left photo shows the snap-hook wildlife clip locked across the lid. The right photo shows the same clip unhooked and fastened to the side handle on collection day. — Unclip the lid on collection morning.
Fasten the snap-hook over the lid or to the side handle so it doesn’t damage the cart when the truck lifts it.

Diagram showing required cart placement. Cart wheels face the road with the lid unlocked. Carts sit 1 metre apart from each other, 2 metres from any parked car, with 3 metres of clear space above the lid for the truck arm. — 1 metre apart, 2 from cars, 3 above the lid.
Wheels to the curb, lid facing out, no overhanging branches. The truck arm needs the clearance.

Heads up

Don't put carts out the night before

Carts left out overnight are an open invitation to bears, especially in fall. Putting them out in the morning is the single biggest thing you can do to reduce wildlife conflicts in your neighbourhood.

Organics cart (green lid)

The 240-litre organics cart takes all your food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard trimmings, and garden waste. Roughly 40% of an average household’s garbage is organic material that belongs in this cart instead.

Recycling

Recycling is split into two categories: containers (cans, bottles, plastic tubs) and mixed paper. Bi-weekly pickup alternates with garbage. Specific accepted-items lists are published on the City’s curbside program page on silvermere.example.

Garbage cart (dark grey lid)

The 120-litre garbage cart is sized to encourage diverting organics and recycling. Most household waste contains an average of 40% organic material. If you are filling the garbage cart faster than it can hold, the issue is usually that organics are ending up in there by mistake.

Missed pickup or replacement cart

If your cart was missed or is damaged, call Civic Works at 250-555-0140 or email civicworks@silvermere.example. Have your address ready.

Common questions

When is my garbage day?

It depends on your zone. Pick your neighbourhood in the lookup at the top of this page and it will show your zone, your weekday, and the next four collection days. Zone A is collected Monday through to Zone E on Friday.

What happens when a statutory holiday lands on my collection day?

That week’s pickup moves one day later, then the schedule goes back to normal the following week. Nothing is skipped. The lookup and the calendar download already account for every BC statutory holiday.

Can I get my collection days in my own calendar?

Yes. Choose your neighbourhood in the lookup and use “Add to calendar” to download twelve months of dates, holiday moves included, for Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, or Outlook.

When does my cart go out?

Between 4:00 am and 7:00 am on collection day, not the night before. Wildlife is the reason.

How are carts spaced?

One metre from each other, two metres from cars, and three metres of clear sky above the closed lid. The truck’s arm needs room to operate.

What goes in the organics cart?

Food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard waste, and garden trimmings. About 40% of a typical household’s garbage actually belongs in here.

When is recycling picked up?

Every other week, alternating with garbage, on your zone’s regular day. The lookup at the top of this page shows which of the next four pickups are recycling weeks.

My cart was missed. What do I do?

Call Civic Works at 250-555-0140 with your address. They will look into it and arrange pickup.

My cart is damaged or broken. Who replaces it?

The City. Call Civic Works at 250-555-0140 to arrange a replacement.

What happens if I miss collection day?

Your next collection happens on schedule. Don’t leave overflow bagged on the curb, hold it for the next pickup or take it to the regional transfer station.

What to do next

Report a missed pickup

Or a damaged cart, broken lid, etc.

Bear Smart Silvermere

Why we put carts out in the morning, not the night before.

Utility rates

What curbside collection costs.

RDWH transfer station info

Hours, location, and accepted items at the regional facility.

Still need help?

Talk to Civic Works

Phone: 250-555-0140
Email: civicworks@silvermere.example
Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 4:30pm
In person: City Hall, 100 Lakeshore Avenue, Silvermere, BC

Submit a request online

Faster than calling for non-urgent issues. We respond within one business day.

When is my garbage day?

Pick your neighbourhood. You get your collection zone, the next four pickups with what goes out on each one, any statutory holiday that moves a day, and a full year of dates for your calendar.

Your neighbourhood or area

Twelve areas across five collection zones. Not sure which one you are in? Civic Works can tell you from your address at 250-555-0140.

Collection day appears here

Every address in Silvermere sits in one of five zones, A through E, collected Monday through Friday.

A collection day that lands on a BC statutory holiday moves one day later that week. Any that apply are called out here.

Choose your neighbourhood to download twelve months of collection dates. Report a missed pickup.

Collection schedule

Silvermere’s curbside collection runs on a three-stream system. Each home gets three carts.

Organics (green lid, 240 litres), collected weekly. Food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard trimmings, and garden waste.

Recycling, collected bi-weekly. Separated into two categories: containers and mixed paper.

Garbage (dark grey lid, 120 litres), collected bi-weekly. Anything that does not belong in the other two streams.

Recycling and garbage alternate weeks, so every home gets a pickup of each every second week. The alternation runs continuously and never resets at the start of a year.

Five zones, Monday to Friday

Statutory holidays

How to set out your carts

The collection truck uses a mechanical arm to grab and tip each cart. That means cart placement matters.

Set the carts so they face out toward the street, with the wheels against the curb.

Space carts 1 metre away from each other, 2 metres from cars, and leave 3 metres of clear space above the closed lid.

Place carts out between 4:00 am and 7:00 am on collection day. Not the night before.

Unclip the wildlife clips on your organics and garbage carts so the arm can lift them.

Common questions

When is my garbage day?

What happens when a statutory holiday lands on my collection day?

Can I get my collection days in my own calendar?

Yes. Choose your neighbourhood in the lookup and use “Add to calendar” to download twelve months of dates, holiday moves included, for Apple Calendar, Google Calendar, or Outlook.

When does my cart go out?

Between 4:00 am and 7:00 am on collection day, not the night before. Wildlife is the reason.

How are carts spaced?

One metre from each other, two metres from cars, and three metres of clear sky above the closed lid. The truck’s arm needs room to operate.

What goes in the organics cart?

Food scraps, food-soiled paper, yard waste, and garden trimmings. About 40% of a typical household’s garbage actually belongs in here.

When is recycling picked up?

Every other week, alternating with garbage, on your zone’s regular day. The lookup at the top of this page shows which of the next four pickups are recycling weeks.

My cart was missed. What do I do?

Call Civic Works at 250-555-0140 with your address. They will look into it and arrange pickup.

My cart is damaged or broken. Who replaces it?

The City. Call Civic Works at 250-555-0140 to arrange a replacement.

What happens if I miss collection day?

Your next collection happens on schedule. Don’t leave overflow bagged on the curb, hold it for the next pickup or take it to the regional transfer station.