File photo (image credit - CFJC Today)

By Michael Reeve

CONTAMINATED RECYCLING

City fined $60,000 last year for contaminated recycling

Jan 28, 2023 | 7:03 AM

KAMLOOPS — The City of Kamloops is looking for greater cooperation from residents with regards to its recycling program. The request comes following a report that showed a high contamination rate over the past three years.

“As a collector under the provincial Recycle BC program, the City is obligated to meet a contamination target rate of 3%,” explained Glen Farrow, the City’s Streets and Environmental Services Manager.

Contamination occurs when material that is not accepted for collection (under Recycle BC guidelines) ends up in curbside recycling.

“But a recent report shows the City’s average contamination rate for curbside recycling over the last three years has been over 10%.”

When the City fails to meet the target rate, the result is a financial penalty from Recycle BC, in the form of a reduced payment to the City for its collection services.

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“In 2022, the City received twelve penalties totaling $60,000,” said Farrow.

In 2022 city staff inspected more than 7,000 recycling carts. The majority of carts (89%) were categorized as either excellent or good, meaning minimal contamination.

A new enforcement strategy will be launched for the very small percentage of carts with the highest amounts of contamination. Instead of a warning letter, the new approach will allow staff to suspend recycling collection if direct contact and clarification with the resident is not successful.

“It’s so encouraging to see most residents doing their best to follow the guidelines for curbside recycling,” said Farrow. “Unfortunately, warning letters for the really bad offenders have not been successful. The new approach will put some responsibility back on the resident to resolve the issue.”

“Our goal is to work together with all residents to reduce contamination as much as possible, and to avoid further penalties from Recycle BC,” stated Farrow.