Tuesday June 14, 2022 | COLWOOD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
The City of Colwood is proud of how their Public Works Department works hard to keep their city clean, safe and running efficiently.
The annual Clean Up program is one of the initiatives, held at the city hall location at 3300 Wishart Road.
It was popular this year, on the heels of two years during which the opportunity was suspended due to the pandemic in 2020 and 2021. That was to protect public health and maintain affordability, the city says on their Colwood Clean Up page.
This year the Colwood Clean Up was up and running again, on Friday April 29 and Saturday April 30 (8:30 am to 4 pm both days).
Colwood budget for this:
Colwood City Councillor Gordie Logan was at the public works yard on April 30 — he and his son were dropping off some things from two vehicles. Logan said the city’s budget line item for the program is about $27,000 this year.
The City sees that as an investment toward curtailing of throw-aways into the natural environment (by people who might not go to official depots).
Active all day, both days:
Weather was a bit grey and drizzly. But people had looked forward to this day.
About 250 people pulled up to the works yard each day, for a total of about 500 delivery loads in trucks large and small.
Convenient local option:
The Colwood Clean Up began as a service for Colwood residents when the only other option was a trip to Hartland Landfill. While there are a growing number of locations and companies residents can now access, this annual service makes it easy for Colwood residents to keep their homes and yards looking great.
In 2019, the City welcomed 630 vehicles and accepted 70 tonnes of refuse and recyclables. Residents pay a fee for drop off, but the City subsidizes a portion of the cost of staffing and removal of all the materials that must be processed and hauled away for safe disposal and recycling.
Items accepted:
- Items accepted: appliances, batteries, automotive parts, barrels, bathtubs, bikes, branches with trunks no greater than 100mm (4”) in diameter, bricks, cardboard, carpet, clothing, compost, concrete blocks, electronics, fridges, freezers, furniture, glass, grass clippings, hot water tanks, lumber, rims, rocks, sinks, sports equipment, stoves, de-rimmed tires, toilets, underlay, wire cut into 1 meter lengths, wood waste.
- Items not accepted: Household garbage, drywall, gypsum board, tree stumps, tires attached to rims, paint, oil, oil tanks, styrofoam or other toxic household hazardous wastes and propane tanks.
Drop-off fees:
For a reasonable fee, residents can bring everything to the weekend pop-up depot — from appliances and car parts to carpet and wood waste for recycling and disposal.
A small car load minimum charge is $20 per visit. A small pickup truck load is $30, while a standard pickup truck load or trailer load is $40. For oversized loads there’s a minimum charge of $60.
Fees (Cash only please *working on additional options*)
| Load Size | Fee per Drop Off Visit |
| Car Load/Minimum Charge | $20.00 |
| *Small Pickup Truck load | $30.00 |
| *Standard Pickup Truck Load | $40.00 |
| Trailer load (2.5m / 8ft) | $40.00 |
| Appliances | $20.00 each |
| Fridges/Freezers/Air Conditioners/Water Coolers | $25.00 each |
| Minimum Charge for Oversized Loads | $60.00 |
| Vehicles weighing more than 2 tons not permitted |
*Note: A truck load is based on the vehicle being loaded to the top of the standard box height.
===== OTHER LINKS: