BC has a vibrant, diverse, complex and increasingly effective web of relationships that acts as a province-wide reverse supply-chain for moving PPP from BC citizens to recycling end-markets. This reverse supply-chain comprises millions of BC residents served by hundreds of collectors who deliver PPP to dozens of PPP processors who then market the material to dozens of end-markets both in and outside of British Columbia.
Over the last few weeks, we have been talking with hundreds of British Columbians from the public, private and not-for-profit sectors who are part of this intricate system.
We have heard about what works well, what isn’t working so well and opportunities for improvement. We’ve heard about concerns, hopes, expectations and perhaps most importantly about the value British Columbians place on community-based efforts to reduce waste through recovery and recycling.
Designing a producer responsibility program for PPP that meets the expectations and values of British Columbians while ensuring stewards are able to continuously increase the collection and recycling of PPP in a manner that is cost-effective is a substantial task. A good place to start is to borrow from a 2,000 year old medical text by Hippocrates who advised that one should “do good or do no harm”.
In practical terms, doing good and avoiding harm means being guided by a set of program delivery principles intended to achieve this objective:
- Focus on outcomes, not process – maximize recovery, maximize efficiency, enhance resident service levels while minimizing complexity;
- Provide economic incentives and set simple rules – effective economic incentives will drive behavior that increases recovery activity throughout the PPP reverse supply-chain; simple rules will provide clarity and certainty to those collecting and recycling PPP;
- Foster interaction, collaboration and competition to drive innovation – innovation is the result of complex interactions of ideas and efforts among stewards and private, public and not-for-profit entities with parties bringing together complimentary skills to collaborate and deliver more value; and
- Set the stage for evolution – harness existing activities and build on success through continuous improvement and use of economic incentives to increase collection of PPP and improve system efficiency.
Translating these principles into practice is the core of the BC PPP stewardship plan.
In the next few days, we will be posting a draft MMBC Stewardship Plan here on this website for review and comment. Once the draft plan is posted, you have options for how to provide feedback on the document:
- MMBC consultation workshop and webcast, Monday, October 29, 10 a.m. to about 4 p.m. at The Theatre, Robson Square, Vancouver. Stakeholders can sign-up [link no longer valid] to attend in person or online by webcast.
- Presentation at the Coast Waste Management Association Conferenceon October 26, 2012, Fairmont Empress, Victoria at 2 p.m. (Pacific Time)
- MMBC Online Feedback [link no longer valid]: Use the convenient online forms to send in a quick question or comment, provide a more detailed submission and/or upload documents that provide your feedback in detail. All input conveyed in this manner will be considered as part of the consultation process. The online feedback from will be available on this website following the consultation workshop.
- MMBC Online Survey [link no longer valid]: Provide feedback by completing a MMBC Draft Stewardship Plan survey. The survey will be available on this website following the consultation workshop.
- Email your comments to consultation@multimaterialbc.ca
- Mail your comments to:
Allen Langdon
Chair, Multi-Material British Columbia
209 – 1730 West 2nd Avenue
Vancouver, BC V6J 1H6