Printed Paper and Packaging Presentation - Rdosmaps.bc.ca

Environment and Infrastructure Committee
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
Agenda Item 3
TO:
FROM:
Environment and Infrastructure Committee
B. Newell, Chief Administrative Officer
DATE: January 10, 2013
RE:
Printed Paper and Packaging – Province of BC Regulations Changes
Administrative Recommendation:
For Information Only
Reference:
Multi-Material British Columbia Consultation Webpage
MMBC Local Government PPP Plan Briefing
History:
The Province of BC has mandated through the Environmental Management Act Recycling Regulation
that the producers of paper and printed packaging be required to submit a plan to collect their
materials for recycling by November 19, 2012. The Province requires the producers to start paying for
and managing collection of materials by May 19, 2014. Packaging includes cardboard, boxboard,
plastic, polystyrene, tin cans and other materials used to transport goods to residents. Printed paper
includes newspapers, magazines and telephone books but does not include bound books. Items sold
to businesses will not be covered by this regulation.
The Province recognized that local governments have historically funded and managed curbside,
multifamily, depot and public space recycling programs that deal with printed paper and packaging.
Early in the process the Province declared that services to home owners would not be diminished
when producers establish new programs in May, 2014. The Province has stated that producers would
be responsible for continuing residential recycling collection and residential recycling depots such as
landfill depots.
The producers of printed paper and packaging have set up a major stewardship group called Multi-
Materials British Columbia (MMBC). MMBC has submitted a plan to the Province to organize, fund
and regulate most paper and packaging residential recycling programs across BC. It is expected that
most of the producers of printed paper and packaging will join the MMBC program.
To meet the May, 2014 deadline the MMBC plan calls for some aggressive timelines:
January to March of 2013, MMBC will be approaching all recycling processors and develop
criteria for processing and collection standards.
April to June of 2013, MMBC will make a lump sum offer to each local government in BC that
currently operates a residential recycling system. The monies offered (not determined yet) will
pay for both collection of materials and education activities related to the program. Local
governments can either choose to receive the cash and continue providing the collection
service themselves or hand over their service to MMBC as of May 2014.
Several minor stewardship groups have been set up to manage specific types of packaging waste that
potentially will fall outside the MMBC program. For example the Brewers Distributors Limited group
has submitted a plan for bottle caps, beer boxes and plastic six-pack holders. Their plan calls for these
items to be brought back to bottle depots for recycling.
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File No: 5380.01 Solid Waste Recycling General
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Analysis:
The MMBC plan affects all RDOS and municipal curbside, multi-family and depot recycling collection
services. It also affects the Municipal Recycling Facility (MRF) located at the Princeton Landfill which
services the Town of Princeton and Electoral Area ‘H’. RDOS Staff have sent letters to member
municipalities to advise them of the timelines within the MMBC plan.
The benefits of the MMBC plan include:
Expanded types of materials collected included Styrofoam (which will only be collected at
depots), paper cups, waxed paper milk cartons and soup tetra-paks.
A new user pay revenue stream will be established for collection and education programs that
have traditionally been 100% financed by local government. This will result in lower costs for
local governments to manage recycling collection programs.
MMBC has committed to having limited disruption of recycling services for local residents.
Concerns raised by the MMBC plan include:
The plan is unclear in multiple aspects and there are many unknowns at this point. Both MMBC
and the Ministry of Environment (which will oversee the plan) are engaging with a number of
stakeholders, including producers, local governments and recycling processors, and the plan
may be changed from its present form.
Local governments traditionally set the timeline for implementing service changes. In this case
the Provincial nature of this service will require local governments to respond within the
timeline set by MMBC.
The Princeton MRF is a major service in the upper Similkameen. RDOS Staff have advised the
Town of Princeton to ensure their MRF contractor is engaged in the MMBC process.
MMBC’s definition of streetscape does not cover the majority of the RDOS outside the City of
Penticton. Event and park recycling should be expanded. Single use cups will be included in
this program and the cups make up a large portion of event and park waste throughout the
RDOS.
Local governments will need to deal with changes to present service contracts. Currently every local
government in the RDOS, except the Town of Princeton and Electoral Area ‘H’, has entered into
combined recycling collection and processing contracts with BFI Canada. The proposed MMBC
funding arrangement has separated collection from processing. The RDOS curbside contract term
expires June 30, 2016.
Language has been placed in each local government contract with BFI Canada to allow for
renegotiation of costs once a printed paper and packaging stewardship program has been
implemented. RDOS Staff intend to work with municipal Staff to negotiate with BFI Canada regarding
this new program.
Respectfully submitted:
“Doug French”
___________________________________________
D. French, Public Works Manager
L:\Board Staff Reports\2013\2013-01-10\Environment\Approved\Printed_Paper_And_Packaging_Update.Docx
File No: 5380.01 Solid Waste Recycling General
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