Article content

Imagine yourself walking down the street in Vancouver holding a newspaper, an empty bottle, and a banana peel. You look for an appropriate place to dispose of your waste, yet all you see are bins labelled trash.It is these experiences which make us realize how surprisingly difficult it is to properly dispose of waste in public space.

The City of Vancouver needs a better system for public space waste management. If it is to label itself the “Greenest City,” shouldn’t it start with the basics? In 2016, Vancouver residents, businesses, and institutions threw away approximately 371,000 tonnes of garbage – however, most of this waste could have been reused, recycled, or composted.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Kaylee Royce: Vancouver needs more public recycling to support its sustainability goals Back to video

Waste management is well established within the private sphere. Metro Vancouver regulates solid waste at the regional level, prescribing guidelines for garbage, recycling, and organic disposal. Cities under this jurisdiction provide waste collection services, ensuring that waste is collected from homes, businesses, and other private spaces. But what about public space? Why are we limited to throwing our waste in consolidated bins destined for the landfill?