Annual programs and events

The Regional Waste Reduction Office has a number of programs throughout the year to promote less waste and a cleaner region.

Book Recycling Pilot Program

The Regional Waste Reduction Office has launched a three-month pilot project to help Central Okanagan residents recycle their old books. The goal is to prevent books from getting tossed into recycling carts.

Two ways to dispose of old books

1. Is the book damaged or outdated (older than 5 years)?  Drop off for recycling at one of these locations:

  • Mission Library located in the Capital News Centre
  • Rutland Library in Plaza 33
  • Downtown Kelowna Library on Ellis St
  • West Kelowna Library in Westridge Mall
  • Lake Country Library inside the Municipal Hall
  • Peachland Library in the Village Mall

 2. Is the book gently used?  DONATE or SELL it:

  • Donate to Friends of the Library 
  • Donate to local thrift shops
  • Sell on-line or host a garage sale
  • Add your book to a 'Little Library" which are located throughout the community.  A list of locations can be found here

 What kinds of books are considered 'outdated' and should be recycled rather than donated?

  • Material in poor condition (yellowing or ripped pages, broken spines, musty smelling)
  • Textbooks
  • Encyclopedias
  • Dated information, particularly in the sciences (older than 5 years)
  • Old government publications
  • Old map books

What happens to the books dropped off for recycling?

Books dropped off at designated collection bins will be picked up by Planet Earth Recycling and transported back to their depot in West Kelowna.  All books will get a final sort through and good books will be removed and resold.  The rest will have the bindings cut off and the paper recycled.

 

For more information on the three-month pilot please email the Waste Reduction Office or call 250-469-6250

Community clean-up

April is Community Clean-up Month

Each April for Community Clean up month, the RDCO encourages you to get involved by doing some light spring cleaning in your own neighbourhood.  The Regional Waste Reduction Office will support your cleanup by providing gloves, bags and picking up litter filled bags when you are done.  Here's how it works:

  • Just choose an area to clean, outside your home or in your neighbourhood.
  • Then contact the Regional Waste Reduction Office to register, let us know how many are in your group, where you will be going and if you require pickup of your litter filled bags. 
  • Pickup your supplies.  Limited number of safety vests may be available.

To register a Community Clean-Up event, simply email the Regional Waste Reduction Office or call at 250-469-6250.

See how it's done

 Create memories, not garbage

Gift giving and holiday memories

Celebrate the spirit of the season by creating memories rather than garbage. Spend some time with family or friends, bake a cake or make other handmade goodies to drop on a friends doorstep, send a homemade card with a letter inside, take a walk around the neighbourhood to see the decorated homes, purchase long lasting gifts from a local shop offering curbside pickup.

Here are a few tips to help you reduce waste this year:

Give gifts that last such as a game, camping gear, family portrait, DIY kits or cast iron cookware.
Make your own gifts - create a recipe book, bake some goodies or make homemade jewelry.
Shop for second hand gifts and give something a new life. Pass along family heirlooms or your favourite book. Shop for antiques or other one-of-a-kind gifts.

 For a full list of great gift giving, creative wrapping tips and create your own custom coupon for that unique experience gift visit Metro Vancouver’s Website

* Create memories, not garbage concept and creative courtesy of Metro Vancouver

Videos

Additional information:

 

 Christmas tree chipping

Chip it, don't chuck it! 

If you have a real Christmas tree, DON'T CHUCK IT, CHIP IT!   Simply remove all tinsel, decorations and bags used for transporting the tree, and drop it off for free chipping from December 26 through January 31at these convenient locations.

Kelowna Locations

Glenmore Landfill

2710 John Hindle Drive, Kelowna

Open Monday to Sunday: 7:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.

Closed December 25, 26 and January 1

Accepts 3 trees per vehicle Free, load must be tarped

Trees mixed with other yard waste are subject to fees

 

Ben Lee Park

(in parking lot at Houghton Road, Kelowna)

 

NEW for 2023/2024 Cook Road Boat Launch

Cook Road, Kelowna

(at Cook Road and Lakeshore Drive)

 

West Kelowna Location

Westside Residential Waste Disposal and Recycling Centre

2640 Asquith Road, West Kelowna

Open Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday: 7:30 a.m. to 3:50 p.m.

Closed December 25 and January 1

 

Lake Country Location

Jack Seaton Park parking lot

1950 Camp Road, Lake Country

 Household hazardous waste disposal

What is household hazardous waste?

Left over products that contain corrosive, toxic, flammable or reactive components are considered household hazardous wastes (HHW),  Look for these symbols to help you identify which products are hazardous. 

Download Guide to Household Hazardous Waste for information on what is accepted and fees that may apply

Examples of common household hazardous waste products

  • Cleaners, degreasers, furniture polishes, rust and lime removers
  • Pesticides, fertilizers
  • Adhesives, sealants, caulking, fillers
  • Undercoats and tars
  • Pool and hot tube chemicals
  • Aerosols such as bug repellant, paint, crack filler, insecticides (Raid)

Where to dispose of household hazardous waste?

Kelowna Recycling aka Battery Doctors (please note some fees may apply)

  • 1972 Windsor Road in Kelowna is the region’s year round depot for household hazardous waste.
  • Open Monday – Friday from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Saturday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
  • Call 250-860-2866

Other hazardous wastes such as electronics, batteries, light bulbs, thermostats and smoke detectors can also be dropped of at various depots. You can search our Recycle Coach App, call the Recycling Council of BC recycling hotline at 1-800-667-4321 for specific items or search www.rcbc.ca/recyclepedia

Tips for transporting household hazardous waste

Household hazardous waste requires special handling and disposal. Our health and environment are at risk. It is important that each of us is responsible for the products we use.

  • Keep material in their original containers
  • Make sure containers have tightly attached lids to prevent leaks. Materials in glass jars or containers are not accepted unless they are pesticides in the original glass container. Solidified liquid materials or empty containers are not accepted.
  • Make sure materials are labelled as best as possible so staff know what they are handling.
  • Pack in a sturdy box and place upright to prevent spills. Don't pack materials in large plastic bags. Line your trunk with plastic if desired.
  • Keep items in the trunk of your car, away from children, pets or food products.
  • Containers that are empty and dry can go into your regular household garbage.

More information

 Trunk sale

FINAL Trunk Sale

The Final RDCO hosted Trunk Sale was held on Saturday September 24, 2022.

Why was this the last Trunk Sale?

When the RDCO first started hosting Trunk Sales in 2011, the concept was new to our region and we modeled it after Boot Sales in Britain. Now, the model has caught on and many local groups and organizations are hosting trunk sales of their own. After 18 events, it is now time for us to step aside, divert our focus to alternate waste reduction initiatives and let the community host Trunk Sales going forward.

Special thanks!!

The Okanagan Mission Lions Club and Okanagan College, who have partnered with us since 2011, have been instrumental in the success of this event over the years. For that we are grateful and thank them very much.

We would also like to thank the following organizations who participated in the event over the years as well:

  • Planet Earth Recycling
  • Kelowna Share Society
  • Diabetes Canada
  • Big Brothers, Big Sisters
  • Salvation Army
  • Kelowna Lioness Club
 Repair café 

No events in 2023.  Future events to  be determined.

What is a Repair café?

Repair Cafés are free meeting places and they’re all about repairing things (together).  At the Repair Café you will find all the tools and materials required to help you make many repairs you need. Volunteer specialists will be on hand to help and guide the repairs.  You can enjoy a cup of tea or coffee or even lend a hand with someone else’s repair job.

The Repair Café concept was formulated in 2009 by Amsterdam-based journalist/publicist Martine Postma and sustainability guru Peter van Vliet, in Groningen, the Netherlands.  Their idea was to set up low-key meeting places nationwide where neighbours could repair their broken items themselves supported by specialist in a relaxed atmosphere.  Visit www.repaircafe.org for more info.

Why do we need Repair cafés?

Repairing an item saves money, landfill space, saves resources and makes people appreciate their possessions more.  Repairing is also fun and often very easy.

Western society revolves around consumption.  We increasingly buy more things, throw away more than ever and use our items for shorter times.  As soon as these items show the slightest defects, we throw them away and buy new.  Repair Café teaches people to see their possessions in a new light.

Goals of the Repair café

  1. To bring back repair into local society in a modern way;
  2. To maintain repair expertise and to spread this knowledge;
  3. To promote social cohesion in the local community by connecting neighbours from very different backgrounds and with different motives through an inspiring and low-key event.

What kinds of things will be repaired?

Past events have had volunteer specialists to help you repair:

  • small appliances and other electrical items
  • bikes
  • sewing or mending clothes, bags etc.
  • ceramics
  • computers
  • clocks
  • upholstery (small items)
  • small wooden items
  • metal items and much more!

The Okanagan Regional Library has also been on hand to show you how to get information on fixing your own items throughout the year

Call for volunteers

Our volunteer fixers are the backbone of the program.  Without them, it wouldn't be possible and we thank them for their time, expertise and willingness to help others! If you would like to volunteer for future events please email us or call 250-469-6250

Next Repair Café event 

When:  To Be Determined

Where:  Okanagan College, 1000 KLO Road in the Trades Building (free parking that day)

One repair item per person

Other resources

  • repaircafe.org - site for background information on the Repair Café movement
  • iFixit.com - is a great website with over 10,000 repair guides for numerous electronics and other household items
 Paper free home

Going paper free means reducing the amount of paper coming into your household in the first place

 Why go paper free?

  • Reduce clutter
  • Free up space in your recycling cart
  • Reduce use of natural resources
  • Recycling costs money

Easy steps to go paper free

  • Use no flyer or no junk mail sticker on your mail box
  • Remove your name from addressed ad mail lists
  • Sign up for paperless billing and electronic statements whenever possible
  • Switch your favourite magazine subscription to a digital version
  • Avoid printing when not necessary.  If you must print, always print double sided 

Other paper reduction tips

  • Ditch the paper towels for reusable cloths

  • Cart your mug to replace disposable coffee cups

  • Switch to cloth napkins

  • Avoid disposable paper plates

  • Consider cloth diapers and cloth baby wipes

  • Use a reusable coffee filter