Oversight robust for residential recycling system
Re: “Plastic not being recycled?”
In response to a recent letter, I wish to provide some background on recycling of packaging and paper products in our province. The video referenced, which was recently posted on social media, was a short segment of a four-year-old CBC Marketplace story. Recycle BC has responded to this clip, stating that it overtly misrepresented recycling in British Columbia and does not reflect the sophisticated system of checks and balances that exists within our residential recycling system. Recycle BC records the movement of material from collection through to its final destination at a recycling facility where it is to be made into a new commodity. These movements then undergo a third-party assurance audit.
While B.C. led the nation in becoming the first province to adopt a full Extended Producer Responsibility program for residential Packaging and Paper Products in 2014, this still does not include materials from the Industrial, Commercial, and Institutional (ICI) sector, which includes office buildings, warehouses, stadiums, grocery stores and food services. The ICI sector has been identified as a significant contributor to overall waste in the province, and efforts are being undertaken by the provincial government to support research to expand the program to this sector.
Ilse Sarady
Senior manager, Recycling and Solid Waste Management
Cowichan Valley Regional District