Recycling, waste management and other services provided by the Regional District of East Kootenay

The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) was created to meet the service needs of the East Kootenay region. We have a main office in Cranbrook and a secondary location in Invermere. Simply put, we are a partnership of municipalities and electoral areas that works together to provide and co-ordinate services.

It is our responsibility to take care of the following:

• Provision of services, such as waste management and recycling
• Protection of the health and safety of citizens
• Protection of the environment

We offer more than 100 services, handling everything from small rural service jobs to those that affect the entire region.

We have an excellent website for citizens to engage with us and learn about what we are doing in the region. Read about the new community initiatives in your area or ask any questions you might have by visiting our interactive website and clicking on the project you are interested in. You will find more information as well as a Q&A section, so you can read what other people have asked or ask a question of your own. Check it out—we would love to hear from you.

Call to ask about recycling, waste management and other services in Cranbrook and the East Kootenay

Give us a call at 250-489-2791 or 1-888-478-7335 (BC/AB) to ask about our waste management and other services.

What waste management services does the RDEK offer in Cranbrook and the East Kootenay?

The RDEK operates five urban transfer stations, 15 rural transfer stations and two landfills.

We have a strong focus on recycling. We have a yellow bin recycling program with over 600 yellow recycling bins across the East Kootenay for the collection of paper, cardboard, tin cans and plastics #1 to #6 (no styrofoam). For a comprehensive overview of recycling in the region, please visit our webpage, Recycling in the RDEK. The page includes contact details, current information on what can and can’t be recycled, and helpful brochures and recycling tips.

In addition to the RDEK's yellow bin program, there are a number of other provincial recycling programs, known as Provincial Extended Producer Programs. The Recycle BC program is an example of a local Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program. By opening Recycle BC Depots, the RDEK is classified as a collector and gets paid per tonne directly from Recycle BC for all materials collected at the depots.

The benefit to residents is that the Recycle BC Depots take all the same materials that can go in the yellow bins—plus over 76 additional items such as styrofoam, plastic jars, laundry detergent containers and foam meat trays. The RDEK gets paid per tonne collected (we have to pay per tonne for all materials collected in the yellow bins). It saves your taxpayer dollars and you can recycle much more—it's a win-win!

Recycle BC depots can be found at the following locations:

• Cranbrook Transfer Station - 2405 22nd Street North
• Kimberley Transfer Station - 800 Jim Ogilvie Way
• Cranbrook Bottle Depot (non-RDEK Recycle BC Depot) - 1125 Industrial Road #3
• Fernie Transfer Station - 6000 Highway 3
• Elkford Transfer Station - 6 Inkaneep Road
• Sparwood Transfer Station - 1001 Highway 3
• Columbia Valley Landfill - 1875 Windermere Loop Road

In addition, there is now a Regional Household Hazardous Waste Depot at the Cranbrook Transfer Station.

Contact us at 1-888-478-7335 to learn more about our recycling program and the provincial extended producer programs (like oil, tires, batteries and electronics) or to get the hours of operation for specific transfer stations or landfills.

Services and products offered by the Regional District of the East Kootenay:

• Recycling and solid waste management
• Land use planning
• Transit
• Water supply
• Sewage disposal
• Fire protection
• Recreation
• Mosquito control
• Street lighting
• Emergency management programs
• 911 services
• Regional and community parks
• Invasive plant control
• Library grants