BC businesses pay recycling

Photo: Contributed - Wikipedia

Paper waste such as this will now cost businesses more to recycle.

The B.C. government's controversial new recycling program goes into effect Monday, irking some business owners who say that additional costs will hurt their bottom line.

The new regulations require all businesses that supply packaging and printed paper to B.C. residential customers be responsible for collecting and recycling that material once customers are done with it.

Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade, says this will create additional costs for businesses, which will download the extra expenses onto consumers.

However, Allen Langdon of Multi-Material BC says that the new rules would only hurt small businesses, who are generally exempt from the new regulations anyway.

Langdon says over 900 companies will be relying on Multi Material B.C. to handle the logistics and costs of recycling packaging and print created by businesses.

Those companies who are not signed onto the non-profit organization will have to co-ordinate their own recycling efforts.

Langdon says up to 3,000 businesses are affected by the new regulations.