Richmond Recycling Depot upgrades receive honourable mention at UBCM awards

The City of Richmond has received an honourable mention at the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM) 2021 Community Excellence Awards for its recent Works Yard upgrades.

Renovations were carried out at the Richmond Recycling Depot, to the tune of $1.58 million, to update aging infrastructure, improve operations and accommodate the expansion of depot services, according to Clay Adams, city spokesperson.

A classroom for environmental programs was also added, along with an expansion of the hazardous waste materials area, a new steel awning spanning the centralized recycling bins – which includes solar panels – and dedicated heavy equipment.

The upgraded recycling depot opened to residents in November 2020.

The upgrades earned the city an honourable mention in the excellence in service delivery category at the UBCM awards, held earlier this week. The City of Surrey won that category for its urban forest resources for outdoor learning.

“The City is delighted to again be recognized for creating a more sustainable environment through strategies such as improving access to recycling for the community,” said Adams.

The UBCM Community Excellence Awards have been held since 2004, and recognize projects or programs by UBCM member First Nations, regional districts and municipalities.

The winners of each of the award categories are:

Excellence in Governance

Winner:                                                          

City of West Kelowna

Community Vision, OURWK

Excellence in Service Delivery

Winner:

City of Surrey

Urban Forest Resources for Outdoor Learning

 Honourable Mention:                                 

City of Richmond

Works Yard - Recycling Depot Upgrades

Excellence in Sustainability

Winner:

City of Nanaimo

Complete Streets Engineering Standards and Design Guidelines

Honourable Mention:

City of New Westminster

Seven Bold Steps for Climate Action

Excellence in Asset Management

Winner:                                                        

qathet Regional District

Natural Asset Solution for Stormwater Runoff

Honourable Mention:

District of Highlands

Sustainable Asset Management

Presidents Committee Choice

Winner:

City of Coquitlam

Community Support and Recovery Plan