Push to trash recycling plan

Photo: Castanet Staff

RecycleBC prefers the blue box program for recycling, where residents are supplied two blue boxes to be collected weekly or bi-weekly.

In order to ensure stability of its own curb side recycling programs, the RDOS is hoping RecycleBC will curb their plans to ban one recycling method that many residents use in the regional district.

RecycleBC is preparing to roll out new contract requirements with local governments for 2019, and it's expected they will plan to ban customer-supplied blue recycling bags by July 2020.

The change would require municipalities to supply blue boxes or carts to residents, but RDOS staff think that would cause "serious issues" for constituents in rural areas.

As a result, RDOS board members agreed unanimously on Thursday to intercede in the anticipated changes.

They will be sending a letter to RecycleBC, the Ministry of Environment and the BC Product Stewardship Association. 

CAO Bill Newell cited several reasons why a blue box or cart collection program wouldn't be efficient for rural areas, including the inconvenience for seniors, the longer distance between collection spots and the high cost for the regional district to provide containers.

In staff's report to board members, regional waste co-ordinator Cameron Baughen said RecycleBC prefers the blue box recycling method since it results in the least amount of contamination, the items that they end up putting in the garbage.

However, Baughen also said research has shown that "there can be significantly less recyclables collected in a blue box program as compared to a blue bag program, due to the lack of convenience."

Baughen's report also indicated that while contamination from a blue bag program is slightly above a blue box program, it's significantly lower than a cart program — which RecycleBC isn't expected to ban.

All of the regional district's rural area as well as Osoyoos and Keremeos currently use customer-supplied containers for recycling, largely blue bags. Princeton collects blue bags through a local recycling collector.

By July, all of Penticton, Summerland and Oliver will have switched to a cart collection program.

In June last year, the regional district signed a seven-year contract with Waste Connections of Canada to keep the current recycling program in its rural areas. They would need to break that contract if RecycleBC decides to eliminate the use of blue bags.

The upcoming program changes by RecycleBC are expected to be formally presented sometime this month or in March.