Parks Recycling

This summer, new recycling bins will be installed in Ambleside Park.

This is the final phase of a three-phased parks recycling program in the District’s destination waterfront parks. The new bins will include options to recycle containers, food scraps, as well as a place for garbage.

We need your help

We need help from all park users to reduce contamination, littering, and illegal dumping — Bins don’t recycle – people do!

When material collected as recycling is heavily contaminated, it cannot be processed as recycling and is disposed as garbage. To make it as easy as possible to recycle correctly in parks, the recycling bins match West Vancouver’s other collection programs.

containers go in the blue bin
food scraps and food soiled paper go in the green bin
garbage goes in the black bin

Help us make this program a success by sorting waste properly in our public spaces. Please also refer to the what goes where in parks poster.

Background

Council directed staff to initiate a three-stream recycling program in the District of West Vancouver’s destination waterfront parks in three phases from 2022-2026. The new recycling bins make it easier to recycle in West Vancouver’s parks and help divert more waste from the landfill.

The three-stream bins replaced garbage-only bins and now include options to recycle containers and compost food scraps (also known as “organics”), and a place for garbage materials.

During Phase 1, the three-stream recycling bins were installed in Millennium Park, John Lawson Park, and Dundarave Park. During Phase 2, the bins were installed in Whytecliff Park and Horseshoe Bay Park. In our current phase, Phase 3, the bins are being installed in Ambleside Park.

Bins are regularly serviced and maintained by District staff, who are monitoring the program and reporting back to Council on the results of this program. See the Council Reports and Presentation below:

Council Presentation | July 21, 2025
Council Report | June 24, 2025
Council Report | August 30, 2023
Council Report | July 11, 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

The parks recycling bins make it easier for residents and visitors to recycle in West Vancouver’s parks and help divert more waste from the landfill. Based on a past waste audit, approximately 50% of park waste could be recycled instead of disposed as garbage.

This program was built on the successful implementation of our streetside recycling program, which began in 2017 and continues today.

Council directed staff to initiate Phase 1 of a three-phased three-stream parks recycling program in the District’s destination waterfront parks, starting in early 2023. Phase 2 started in early 2024. Phase 3 started in summer 2026.

We need your help!

Recycling effectively in public spaces can be challenging. Bins don’t recycle – people do! Please do your part by sorting your materials correctly by checking out what goes where in parks.
Contamination is a key challenge of any recycling program, but especially in outdoor public locations such as parks and streetscapes.

Contamination occurs when materials are incorrectly sorted. Research shows that people are less likely to sort correctly in public places than at home. When recycling is not sorted properly, our recycling efforts can end up in the landfill if the contamination is too high.

We need your help!

Bins don’t recycle – people do! Learn more about what goes where in parks.
The parks recycling program and other public realm solid waste initiatives are funded entirely through the District’s Solid Waste Utility, not through general taxation. Residents will see these costs as the “Public Realm Waste” line item that appears on their quarterly utility bills.

Staff are tracking and estimating capital costs and operating costs for each phase of the program. Capital costs include the cost of installing new dedicated recycling bins and operational costs include labour, equipment, and processing of separated recycling and compostable materials. Program costs are subject to change based on inflation and other factors as the program is implemented over time.
In 2017, streetside recycling bins were installed on sidewalks and at bus stops in Horseshoe Bay. This pilot project was effective in diverting 50% of waste from the garbage, to be recycled. Based on the success of this pilot project, the District expanded the streetside recycling program to other commercial areas in West Vancouver in 2019.

Learn more about streetside recycling.