The Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre (CSRWC) is Metro Vancouver’s sixth recycling and waste management facility. It fills a previous service gap in this area of the region, increasing the convenience of recycling and waste management for residents, significantly reducing travel distances and GHG emissions and helping reduce illegal dumping. It is estimated that GHG emissions saved by reduced vehicle trips will be about 500 tonnes of CO2e per year.

The facility operates on a formerly vacant 1.7-hectare site in East Newton. It features an impressive 3000 m2 transfer building – a steel superstructure with a clear span of 55 m by 63 m, a free recycling area, two scale houses, three scales, an administration building, recycling attendant booth, recycling canopies, refueling station for operations vehicles, efficient circulation routes, customer washrooms and numerous green infrastructure elements. The project was evaluated for sustainability using the ENVISION rating system and it met Silver.

Innovative architectural, structural, mechanical, electrical and civil engineering allowed for the efficient, functional and safe development of this large sustainable facility on a constrained site. Large transfer trucks and public traffic circulate safely and efficiently and impacts on the surrounding area are minimized. Building energy efficiency was optimized (high efficiency building envelope, translucent panels, energy monitoring equipment, energy efficient lighting, light sensors, natural ventilation). The project meets at least 50% of its operations energy needs from renewable sources. Additional highlights include the use of construction materials with recycled content, shielded light fixtures, EV charging stations, low flow water fixtures and low maintenance landscaping. Excavated construction material not suitable for re-use on site was re-used as cover and road base at the nearby Vancouver landfill.

The CSRWC opened to the public in September 2022.

Implementation of a self-haul, small vehicle recycling and waste drop-off facility in Surrey was a longstanding commitment of Metro Vancouver. Morrison Hershfield was Prime Consultant for the new Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre, an important facility that plays a significant role in Metro Vancouver’s efforts to reach diversion goals and move toward a circular economy.

Fitting all required site infrastructure within the constrained site was a challenge. Through innovative planning and design, the efficient and functional facility incorporates several structures, a large berm, extensive landscaping and ensures the safe and effective circulation of large transfer trucks and public traffic.

The transfer building is a 3000 m2 steel superstructure with a clear span of 55m by 63m. A column-free, flat tipping floor maximizes operational flexibility. The prefabricated metal building rests on concrete pedestals at the tipping floor level above the primary site travel roads. To separate the metal building columns from operational areas, they are installed on beams and pedestals outside the main transfer building push walls.

To maximize the use of space, parts of the transfer building and tipping floor are suspended, allowing service vehicles to travel underneath the suspended slab. Retaining walls inside the site were needed to achieve required design grades and maintain a landscaping buffer on property frontage. A structural column sits within the landscape buffer.

Metro Vancouver (MV) is a North American leader in waste reduction and recycling, with a diversion rate of 65%. Facilities like the Central Surrey Recycling and Waste Centre make it more convenient for residents to recycle, diverting more solid waste from landfill, and pushing MV closer to its goal of an 80% recycling rate for the region. The new facility saves users time, reduces travel distances by about two million kilometres per year, and GHG emissions by about 500 tonnes per year.