Recycle BC is a leader in residential plastic recycling and is committed to effective plastic management. BC residents can have confidence that the residential recycling system for plastic packaging in their province is world class.
Verified Recycling
Recycle BC is responsible for the collection of plastic packaging, and we sort and recycle all we can through our advanced sorting facilities. Of the material we collect, we recycle almost all of it.
of plastic collected was sent to recycling end markets
We keep our material as local as possible and work with local recycling end markets. We send the majority of our plastic to a local recycler to be recycled into plastic pellets to be used to make new products and packaging.
Recycle BC records the movement of material from collection through to its final destination at a recycling facility to be made into a new commodity. These movements undergo a third-party assurance audit which is how residents can ensure the numbers we report are reflecting the actual performance of our program.
Of the plastic packaging that producers and businesses supply to the BC marketplace, residents recycle about 45% at home or at a depot. That’s about half the plastic supplied that we don’t have the chance to recycle because it doesn’t enter our recycling system. We need your help to collect it all so we can recycle more plastic packaging.
Continuous Improvement
We've made significant improvements to residential plastic recycling in BC
Since its program launch, Recycle BC has made significant improvements to residential plastic recycling in BC by advancing the collection, management and circularity of plastic packaging.
Most residential plastics can be collected curbside or can be taken to depots for recycling. A few items are only accepted at depots in select regions. Visit the link below to search for material using Recycle BC’s Waste Wizard, or view a summary of accepted materials and where to take them.
Flexible plastics are lightweight, soft, and can be easily crumpled or folded. They include:
- Plastic bags (used for bread, produce, or bulk foods)
- Overwrap (used to wrap toilet paper, paper towels and soft drinks)
- Stand-up and zipper lock pouches (used for granola, grains or dried fruit)
- Crinkly wrappers and bags (used for cereal, chips, pasta)
- Packaging with a plastic seal (used for sandwich meats and sliced cheese)
- Plastic net bags (for produce and rice)
- Plastic protective packaging (bubble wrap)
See a full list material list of accepted flexible plastics at the link below:
Recycle BC has a network of depots across BC where residents can drop off packaging and paper free of charge. Most depots accept all our materials including paper, packaging, cardboard boxes, plastic containers, metal containers, cartons and paper cups, non-deposit glass bottles and jars, foam packaging, and flexible plastics. Please see the map below for depot locations.
Flexible plastics, foam packaging (e.g. Styrofoam) and non-deposit glass (in communities without separated curbside glass collection) can only be returned to a depot for recycling.
See your Recycling Guide for information on what to bring in.