Why did I get a notice for putting garbage in my recycling tote?

When your curbside recycling is collected, the truck driver has a matter of a few seconds to review your material and identify contaminants. When a bag is identified, it is difficult to determine if it is garbage or bagged recyclables, so the driver tags it to the closest possible item that it resembles.

The CVRD asks that all recyclables be kept loose within your tote. Recyclables that are bundled or bagged cannot be properly recycled because the equipment at the sorting facility cannot access the materials to effectively sort them. For safety reasons, staff do not open these bags.

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1. Why did I get a recycling contamination notice?
2. Who do I contact to review my notice?
3. Why can’t I recycle hard plastics?
4. Why can’t I put textiles in my recycling tote?
5. Why did I get a notice for putting garbage in my recycling tote?
6. Why can’t I put plastic bags and wrappers in my recycling tote?
7. Why did I get a notice for an unidentifiable material in my recycling tote?
8. Why can’t I put glass in my recycling tote?
9. Why can’t I put styrofoam in my recycling tote?