In the past few months, the Township of Langley has noticed an increase in the number of curbside waste and recycle bins going missing after a change in property possession.
It has become such a problem, the Township contacted our Board to request that we ask members to remind sellers to leave their bins behind for new homeowners. That request got us wondering if there is a standard policy for residential waste and recycle bins across the Fraser Valley Real Estate Board areas.
In many municipalities, curbside carts are the property of that municipality and linked to each property address by means of serial numbers and RFID tags. If this is the case, once a property changes hands, the carts are supposed to remain at the property for the next homeowner to use. Otherwise, the new homeowner has the hassle, and in some cases the cost, of having to order new ones. It also puts a strain on the resources of a municipality to have to replace the bins after a change in household.
Here is a snapshot of Fraser Valley municipal policies on waste and recycle bins:
| Municipality |
Bins provided by |
Must remain with property |
| * Abbotsford | Resident (Except for bear-resistant bins in Sumas Mt area) |
No (Bear-resistant bins must remain with property) |
| Delta | Resident | No |
| Surrey | Municipality | Yes |
| Langley Township |
Municipality | Yes |
| Langley City |
Emterra (private service provider) |
Yes |
| White Rock |
Resident | No |
| Mission | Municipality | Yes |
* Abbotsford is scheduled to announce a revised waste and recycle policy in early 2018.