On Tuesday, Sept. 4 the North Cariboo Joint Committee, made up of Northern CRD Directors and Quesnel City Council, received Staff recommendations to pursue an expanded Recycle BC depot at the Quesnel landfill and close the current drop off locations. Currently the Quesnel landfill collects plastic bags, polystyrene foam and glass only on behalf of Recycle BC, the organization responsible for residential packaging and paper recycling in BC. The rest of the recyclables collected at the Quesnel Landfill and satellite depots are processed and marketed by Northern Recycling Inc. (NRI) through their contract with the City of Quesnel.
Quesnel City Council went on to endorse the recommendation at their Sept 5th City Council meeting. The next steps will involve working out contract details with NRI, and planning the operational changes with Recycle BC and their contractors. The City and the CRD will also provide the public with information on why the existing system is no longer viable.
The proposed changes being considered will see all packaging and paper (household recyclables) accepted by Recycle BC collected at a controlled (overseen by an attendant), centralized, fenced depot instead of at the current non-controlled recycling depots at West Park Mall, Maple Park Mall, Sani-loop and the Quesnel landfill. These changes are being recommended by Staff due to ongoing unacceptable levels of contamination mixed with the non-controlled depot recyclables and changes in the global recycling market.
Despite the City’s education campaigns regarding contamination in the depot recycling material, the non-controlled recycling locations continue to see significant contamination issues. The current contamination rates are too high to create marketable products in the current global recycling market.
In January 2018, China reduced the level of contamination they accept with recyclables. China will only import the cleanest recyclable material, which makes marketing the contaminated paper and plastic recyclable materials from Quesnel’s current depots extremely challenging and costly. Recycle BC is still able to market their recyclables due to strict rules, such as requiring attended depots, which produces a cleaner product.
Establishing a full Recycle BC depot will ensure that the City and Cariboo Regional District recycling programs in Quesnel can continue. The non-controlled depots in Quesnel are the only ones left in the Cariboo; all other depots are controlled sites that collect recyclables for Recycle BC.
For more information, please email talktrash@cariboord.ca or cityhall@quesnel.ca or see our FAQ's here
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