Delta residents still enjoy having their garbage picked up once a week, but that could change if the municipality decides to follow other communities that have switched to every other week.
In 2011, the province approved the regional district's Solid Waste Management Plan, which includes goals for diverting 70 per cent of regional waste through recycling, composting and other programs by 2015, increasing to 80 per cent by 2020.
Since then, several communities, including Surrey, have begun green and food waste collection programs and moved regular trash pick-up to every other week.
Vancouver council is the latest to approve a switch, one that begins this spring.
Delta made the first move along a similar path by launching the Green Can program last spring, which gives residents in single-family homes the chance to keep food waste and yard trimmings out of the regular garbage stream through weekly curbside collection.
Civic engineering director Steven Lan recently told the Optimist that since the start of the program, Delta had collected almost 40 per cent more green waste compared to the same period the previous year.
Delta is also getting multi-family dwellings and civic facilities involved in green waste collection, however, garbage pick-up remains weekly.
As far as the possibility Delta could move to every second week, Lan would only say engineering staff still have to look at the numbers for Delta's new waste programs. They will update Delta council after the winter season.
Mayor Lois Jackson said the first order of business is to get more people on board with the food waste program.
"I think we'll probably analyze that a little bit further as we get more people on the program," said Jackson, adding the green waste program has been up and running for less than a year.
"My concern is that there are still people not taking part in the green waste program."
Delta is host of the Vancouver Landfill and one of the perks for the municipality has been that it does not have to pay tipping fees to dispose garbage.
Meanwhile, a new mattress voucher program is beginning this year to allow up to 3,000 Delta residents to recycle mattresses at no charge at the landfill.
Mattresses have been banned from regional waste disposal facilities since last year. Those taking mattresses, box springs or futons to the landfill are now charged a $15 recycling fee. A staff report to council notes that in 2011, the landfill received about 1,000 mattress units from Delta residents, but since the disposal ban there has been a significant increase in the number of illegally dumped mattresses.
Since Delta has an annual credit with the landfill, the municipality negotiated with the City of Vancouver, which operates the landfill, to provide a mattress voucher program. One voucher per household will be given out on a first-come, first-serve basis.
On another front, the province announced more electronic and electrical equipment products will be accepted as part of B.C.'s extended producer responsibility programs. Electronic musical instruments, video gaming systems and accessories, power tools, exercise machines, toys and more are now accepted along with other small appliances at the Ladner and Scott Road bottle depots.
Outdoor power equipment, including chainsaws and lawn mowers, are also included in the program expansion. However, residents have to take those items to Rypac Aluminum Recycling in Surrey or Regional Recycling in Richmond.
Delta will also be launching a new collection schedule smartphone application for residents.
