Image Credit: Recycle BC

By Katlyn Eriksen

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SOUND OFF: British Columbia leads the way with recycling initiatives

Mar 1, 2022 | 1:41 PM

ACCORDING TO The United Nations, the trend towards sustainable living continues to gather momentum. This has a knock-on effect globally, and in British Columbia an ever-increasing number of people and businesses are recycling. With an increased focus on reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills, recycling initiatives have had to step up to the plate and offer their services. Recycle BC is one of the many Canadian organizations leading the way in the province.

Recycle BC is a non-profit packaging and paper recycling organization in British Columbia that promotes recycling best practices and educates residents about the environmental benefits of recycling. The initiative is funded by businesses that produce paper and packaging and residents do not pay for the recycling service. The main intention, says MD Allen Langdon, is to “connect with the public so they recycle more, and recycle correctly.”

Recycling On The Rise

Launched in 2014, Recycle BC has made incredible inroads. Currently, 97 per cent of British Columbians have access to recycling depots or services, more than 186,00 tonnes of materials are collected per annum, over 1,200 businesses offer financial support to the program and 157 communities participate in this initiative.

Education surrounding recycling has proven to be crucial, as not everyone is aware of what can and cannot be recycled. According to the EPA, some items are more recyclable than others including aluminum, paper, glass, cardboard, and certain plastics. Pizza boxes are more difficult to recycle because they are contaminated with food. Foil chip packets and candy wrappers are usually non-recyclable but there are exceptions. For Recycle BC, educating people on what can be reused is crucial to success.

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Battery Recycling A First In Canada

In 2010, British Columbia became the first province to recycle hazardous waste, including single-use and rechargeable batteries. Disposing of batteries should be done safely because they contain toxic chemicals like lithium, lead, or sulfuric acid. Even if they are no longer able to power a device, batteries can catch alight. It is therefore advised that when they are recycled, a piece of tape is placed on either end.

While common household battery recycling is offered by many stores, only some, like Kal-Tire and Canadian Tire, recycle car batteries. The Recycling Lead-Acid Batteries website is also a useful resource for finding the nearest car battery recycling depot. Additionally, car batteries can be recycled through a program operated by the Canadian Battery Association (CBA).

An Ongoing War On Waste

As BC continues to focus its energy on reducing waste the stats show that positive progress is continually being made. The Recycle BC initiative that runs the printed paper and packaging (PPP) recycling system as one of their programs has reported that in 202, they had an 85.8% recovery rate. This was an increase on the year before that had a recovery rate of 77.4 per cent and it beat their estimated 2020 target of 77 per cent.

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Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.