LETTER: Why so many recycling staff?
Published 5:00 am Monday, October 12, 2026
Dear Editor,
Something seems amiss at the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot on River Road.
On my last visit to the depot, I counted 11 frontline workers overseeing and receiving recyclable materials.
This does not include the employees working inside the buildings operating forklifts and processing the material.
Of those 11 frontline workers, I observed: two in the metal area, three in the small appliance/paint area, one in the Styrofoam area, two in the plastics area, and three in the cardboard/paper area.
Before Recycle BC took over operations, it was typical to see only one or two workers covering the Styrofoam, plastic, cardboard, and paper areas, and perhaps three workers in the small appliance, paint and metal areas — roughly five frontline workers in total.
The transition to Recycle BC was supposed to make recycling more efficient and cost-effective.
If that is the case, why has the number of frontline workers apparently more than doubled?
As a taxpayer, I would like an explanation of the staffing levels at the depot.
Why do I now need three people overseeing me while I put cardboard into a bin when, previously, I was perfectly capable of doing it myself?
If the additional staff are required for legitimate operational or safety reasons, I would appreciate knowing what those reasons are.
But if this increased staffing comes at an additional cost to taxpayers, we deserve to know why.
David Eliason, Maple Ridge