Automated Curbside Collection

Automated garbage, recycling and organics collection is coming soon to the City of Duncan. Our current garbage truck is at end of life and will be replaced with a new automated collection truck in the coming months. The new automated truck was ordered in June 2023 and is expected to arrive within 12-18 months.

Please note that collection dates and routes will not change when automated collection is implemented.

About Automated Collection

Manual collection is hard on workers and often causes injury. Protecting the health and safety of employees is an important benefit of automated collection, and has been a driving force in municipalities across Vancouver Island in changing to an automated system.

Automated collection uses mechanical arms to lift and dump bins at the roadside. Residents will be provided with new wheeled carts that the mechanical arms can lift. These new carts come with wheels which will make it easier for residents to bring to the curb than most of the regular bins and containers that are currently being used.

The new automated collection truck will require new garbage (black), recycling (blue), and organics (green) carts that are compatible with the mechanical arms. The carts will be purchased by the City and will be delivered to each residence in advance of the program start up. 

Along with the improvements to worker health and safety, there are a number of benefits for residents under this new service including:

  • Potentially larger cart sizes for residents, particularly for the recycling (blue) cart
  • Route efficiency
  • Potential flexibility in cart sizes and potential ability to order additional carts (at an added fee)

How We Got Here

In June 2022, the City held a public consultation period to determine residents’ opinions on the changeover. A survey was offered which presented the overall topic and the pro’s and con’s in a simplified format. There were also links to relevant City Council meeting videos where the topic had been discussed. When the results were tallied, 75% of the respondents were in favour of switching to automated collection.

Next Steps

An implementation plan will be prepared. There will be announcements and information available for residents well in advance of the start of the program. The roll-out will also include the delivery of three new automated collection bins – for garbage, recycling and organics – to each residence.

Watch for updates as we move along the process in 2024.

Have questions? Please call City Hall at 250-746-6126.