A controversial shift in how recyclables are collected in the province should have a nominal impact on Salmon Arm residents should it come to fruition.
One of the more heated debates at this year’s Union of B.C. Municipalities convention revolved around Multi Material BC (MMBC), a non-profit stewardship organization created by industry to fulfil B.C.’s recycling regulation related to printed material and packaging. In essence, the regulation shifts responsibility for management of materials from government to industry and consumers.
MMBC’s Packaging and Printed Paper Stewardship Plan is expected to be go into effect on May 19, 2014. Local governments were asked to have a letter of intent, specifying whether or not they would be coming onboard with MMBC, submitted by Sept. 16. This deadline was one of the concerns raised by municipalities at the convention. Another was how MMBC’s program would impact already existing recycling programs. Neither of these, however, are a significant issue for Salmon Arm. The city has already signed a letter of intent and, by signing on, staff suggest there “will be a significant reduction in costs to the end user of the program.”
“The bottom line is we can’t double charge the citizens so whatever we’re credited by MMBC will be credited to the citizens,” says city engineer Jenn Walters, adding it will be up to council to determine how that might be utilized.
A memo to council notes this will allow the city to maintain local accountability, as well as program control and flexibility.
“One of the real benefits about keeping tabs on it is we’re hoping to do some refining to the collection system as it is, to start having people’s recycling and garbage on the same day,” says Walters. “Right now there’s some confusion. So we wanted to change some routes up, make them a little more efficient and easier for people.”
With MMBC, Salmon Arm’s recycling program would generally stay the same, though there will be some change in what materials are collected. Styrofoam and thin film plastics (such as sandwich wrap) will not be collected under the bag system, but will be accepted at the green recycling bins at local recyclable depots such as Bill’s Bottle Depot and at the landfill.
Tetrapacks, clamshell packaging and cardboard milk cartons will be additions to the bag system, as will plastic shopping bags.
All of this, including the May implementation date, is based on the program rolling out as currently intended.
Organizations representing small business have also weighed in on the MMBC debate. Both the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) and the BC Chamber of Commerce are concerned with potential impact the program will have, as any business that sells packaging or printed paper to consumers that ultimately end up in the waste stream are required to sign on with MMBC as stewards.
Salmon Arm Chamber of Commerce President Jim Kimmerly agrees with the sentiment of CFIB director Mike Klassen, that small businesses would be reluctant to sign on to something where they don’t know what all the costs will be.
“It looks half-baked, like it hasn’t really been thought out all that well from a small-business perspective,” says Kimmerly. “Who is going to want to enter a contract when they don’t know what the fees are?”