Campbell River Curbside Collection Moving To Automation

The City of Campbell River will soon be transitioning to automated curbside collection of garbage, recyclables, and organics.

The City has signed a ten year contract with Emterra Environmental, which has been collecting waste since 2006 to about 10,800 households in the Campbell River area.

The partnership will see the City transition from manual to automated curbside collection services.

Automated collection is already in place in many other nearby communities, including Courtenay and Comox, and uses trucks with mechanical arms to lift and dump standardized bins that are placed at the curbside.

Curbside collection will continue as currently scheduled for the remainder of the year. Next Spring, collection will transition to an automated, four-day, bi-weekly collection service for garbage and recycling.

Organics collection will transition to an automated four-day service but will remain on a weekly schedule.

Residents will receive three new bins sized at 360 litres for organics and recycling, and 180 litres for garbage.

Households will be provided with an opportunity to exchange their bins for smaller containers or to purchase additional bins if needed.

Director of Community Planning and Livability, Andy Gaylor says transitioning to an automated service is a necessary step forward for the community as they look to maintain service levels, divert waste and keep costs affordable.

He says the City will share more information over the next several months regarding the new service so people can prepare.

The City says automated collection is considered a best practice to balance efficient waste pick-up with cost of service and to promote waste diversion.

It also enhances health and safety processes as bins are more maneuverable, does not require carrying or lifting, and helps control rodent and wildlife interactions.

Current costs total nearly $2.8 million for 2025, and the newly awarded contract is about $2.7 million for the first year of the ten-year contract.

Last year, the City secured a $633,423 grant from the Province, which was put towards the purchase of more than 11-thousand bins, with the hope of more grant funding down the road.

Information on the transition to an automated curbside collection service will be shared with all residents in the summer and fall and into 2026.

For the latest updates, sign up to receive alerts via the City’s CR Recycles app, or visit Curbside Collection.

Go to City of Campbell River to view the full news release.