Mission residents are going to be asked to separate even more of their waste.
Starting Jan. 1, 2019, Recycle BC wants all participating communities – including Mission– to separate “other flexible packaging” (chip bags and candy wrappers which to date have not been recyclable) from their waste.
Much like the recent change for stretchy film plastic, the flexible packaging will not be allowed in blue bags and will not be collected at the curb. Instead, residents are being told that it needs to be dropped off at local recycling depots.
The change comes as part of a new five-year packaging and printed paper (PPP) recycling stewardship plan being proposed by Recycle BC.
According to the staff report, Mission district has several concerns with the proposed plan.
Coun. Pam Alexis said it’s “a stretch” to think people will comply.
“Some people will do this, but I can’t imagine we will get compliance in saving dirty candy wrappers and chip bags,” said Alexis.
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She also raised concerns with Recycle BC’s plan to burn the material.
“I struggle with this. Is this the best that we can do, I guess, from Recycle BC, I’m not happy.”
Barry Azevedo, manager of environmental Services in Mission said Recycle BC is having the new material pressed into fuel logs and sending it off to cement kilns, which currently burn coal.
Coun. Danny Plecas said most of the items will just end up in the garbage, because “people aren’t going to take it down to the recycle depot.”
Mayor Randy Hawes also expressed his concerns, noting that council has talked about its dissatisfaction with Recycle BC’s whole program.
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He feels political pressure is called for.
“There has to be pressure put on the provincial government. First it needs information from the cities that are operating under Recycle BC. They need to hear all of the flaws that we see that are causing the problems, that are causing, actually in some cases, more waste to go into the waste stream.”
He suggested staff talk to other cities and, “hopefully, put together a joint submission” to the province.
Blue bags delayed:
A plan to replace the use of blue recycle bags with blue plastic bins has been delayed.
Originally, Recycle BC had informed the district that it needed to switch from blue bags to blue bins Mission as of Oct. 3 this year. That plan has changed.
Now, the switch from blue bags to hard blue plastic containers will begin on July 1, 2019.