Garbage & Recycling

In 2019, the Town replaced all garbage bins in Golden with a form of lockable bin that is bear resistant, a tactic now used by the majority of communities in North America that experience ongoing bear incursions in urban areas. Together with VP Waste Ltd., the Town has outfitted every home in the community with bear-resistant bins.

Here are some important reminders about using your bear-resistant bin to keep our community safer for both humans and wildlife:

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• Lock it up! To use the bin, unclip the locking latch and place your garbage in the container. Don’t forget to lock it back up! Bins must be locked 24 hours a day (except for the morning of pick-up days).⁣
• Put your bin out! On the morning of your garbage pick-up day, put your bin out ‪between 5 and 8 a.m.‬ and make sure it’s unlocked for collection.⁣
• Put it away! Once your garbage has been collected, lock your bin up and put it away. Bear-resistant bins are only resistant, not bear-proof. If you are able to, you must keep bins secured and placed in a shed, garage or other enclosure that cannot be accessed by a bear.

Bylaw, Conservation Officers and the WildSafeBC Golden Community Coordinator work together to conduct random bin checks and tagging throughout the year to make sure bins are being used properly and aren’t being put out the night before collection.

Black bin garbage collection is for items that can't be recycled in your blue bin or dropped off at a depot, and are considered domestic waste items. Domestic waste includes: 

• Wrappers
• Non recyclable packaging
• Kitchen waste and food products
• Grease
• Pet food and bird feed
• Compost and noxious weeds
• Diapers
• Small wood scraps
• Non-recyclable paper
• Non-combustibles, such as broken dishes, unmarketable glass, dirt, ashes (cold) from fireplaces and solid fuel burning appliances
• Non-metal pipe and unrecyclable plastics
• Empty household product containers that cannot be recycled locally

For the safety of garbage truck drivers and landfill staff there are items that should not be placed in your black bin.

Prohibited waste includes materials from excavations, lot clearing or building construction, repairs, alterations, or maintenance, debris from any building or part thereof removed or damaged or destroyed by fire or any other cause, material from any manufacturing processes, condemned or contaminated matter from any premises.

It also includes, but is not limited to:

• Hazardous, ignitable, biomedical, radioactive, reactive, and yard waste
• Liquids and sludge
• PCB’s and pesticide products
• Discarded furniture or other household equipment
• Paint
• Discarded or abandoned vehicles or farm equipment or parts thereof
• Scrap metal
• Tires
• Used oil filters
• Waste oil or petroleum products
• Batteries. Visit Call2Recycle.ca to learn where you can recycle batteries in Golden.
• Propane tanks
• Hot or unwrapped ashes
• Animal carcasses
• Stones
• Sand, and rocks, concrete and asphalt
• Waste that is on fire or smouldering
• Unwrapped sharps
• Electronics and electrical products, including batteries
• Animal excrement not contained in a separately sealed container

Some of these products are accepted free of charge at the CSRD landfill Hazardous Waste Depot. Visit the CSRD services page for information on the landfill and recycling depot programs and where to drop off hazardous waste.

Blue bin recycling collection is for acceptable household paper, cardboard, container packaging and cartons.

Check out the list below or the Curbside Collection - Recycling Cheat Sheet to find out what can be recycled using your blue bin:

• Newspapers, inserts, flyers and envelopes
• Paper egg cartons
• Paper bags, including paper bags for pet food, flour, sugar, etc.
• Paper gift wrap and paper gift bags (no foil wrap or non-paper gift wrap)
• Magazines, catalogues and phonebooks
• Household paper, including shredded paper (contain it in a plastic bag first)
• Boxboard boxes
• Cardboard boxes
• Paper carry-out beverage trays
• Cores from paper towel and toilet tissue
• Plastic bottles, jars and jugs
• Cartons for soup, milk, etc
• Plastic trays and clamshells
• Caps, tops, lids and pumps
• Metal cans
• Foil wrap and take out containers
• Aerosol cans (empty)
• Plastic garden pots and seedling trays
• Plastic packaging for toys, batteries etc. Separate plastic from paper backing
• Spiral wound cans and lids for frozen juice concentrate, chips, etc.
• Plastic pails less than 25L for laundry detergent etc.
• Plastic tubs for yogurt, margarine, etc.

What can be recycled at the curb is governed by Recycle BC. Items such as glass, foam packaging and plastic bags are excluded from curbside collection service but can be dropped off at the local recycling depot. 

Drop-off only items:

Glass

• Glass bottles - clear and coloured
• Glass jars - clear and coloured

Plastic bags and overwrap

• Plastic bags: bags for groceries, produce, dry bulk foods, frozen vegetables, water softener, salt, garden products, newspapers, etc.
• Outer bags and product wraps: overwrap for diapers, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, soft drink flats

Foam packaging

• Foam meat trays (remove absorbent pad)
• Foam take-out containers and cups
• Foam cushion packaging used to protect electronics

It is important to recycle the right items in your blue cart to avoid contamination that can spoil the quality of good recyclables and to ensure the safety of garbage truck drivers and recycling facility staff. The follow items are NOT accepted in your blue bin:

• Plastic bags and any type of plastic film or overwrap. This includes grocery bags, vegetable and bread bags, any kind of plastic wrappers, furniture overwrap, zip-lock bags, cellophane, cling wrap or film.
• Glass
• Paper towels, napkins and tissues
• Paperback and hard cover books
• Non-paper gift wrap, foil wrap
• Rubber bands, ribbons, bows
• Padded envelopes
• Bags and boxes with foil liners
• Plastic bags used to cover newspapers/flyers
• Foam packaging
• Chip or foil bags, candy wrappers
• Hazardous waste. This includes batteries; medical syringes; bleach or aerosol containers with any contents remaining; compressed gas cylinders (ex. propane cylinders); containers for paint, motor oil, vehicle lubricants, or antifreeze; or containers for pesticides with the words DANGER, WARNING or POISON., and precautionary octagon or diamond symbols with skull and crossbones.
• Electronics and appliances
• Toys and games
• Stand up pouches
• Packaging labeled biodegradable or compostable
• Wiring, metal cords, hardware
• Hangers, pots, pans and other scrap metal
• Clothing textiles and shoes
• Food and yard waste

Not sure if an item is recyclable or not, visit recyclebc.ca to find out. Items such as glass, foam packaging and plastic bags are excluded from curbside collection service but can be dropped off at the local recycling depot. 

Drop-off only items:

Glass

• Glass bottles - clear and coloured
• Glass jars - clear and coloured

Plastic bags and overwrap

• Plastic bags: bags for groceries, produce, dry bulk foods, frozen vegetables, water softener, salt, garden products, newspapers, etc.
• Outer bags and product wraps: overwrap for diapers, feminine hygiene products, paper towels, soft drink flats

Foam packaging

• Foam meat trays (remove absorbent pad)
• Foam take-out containers and cups
• Foam cushion packaging used to protect electronics