New province-wide ad campaign shows the environmental benefits of recycling at home
Vancouver, May 12, 2016— This week Multi-Material BC (MMBC) extended its commitment to community engagement and the promotion of recycling by formalizing partnerships with four local community organizations, and committing $14,000 in grant money to support local efforts to raise awareness and education around residential packaging and printed paper recycling options.
Each of the four organizations submitted proposals and were selected based upon their program’s alignment with MMBC’s provincial mandate. The groups have a well-established community presence, and are actively engaged in promoting, and providing education about, recycling.
The following community organizations were selected as MMBC Community Champions for 2016:
- The Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT) – Fort St John / Peace River Regional District
- Ridge Meadows Recycling Society – Maple Ridge
- Let’s Talk Trash – Powell River Regional District
- Recycling and Environmental Action Planning Society (REAPS) – Prince George
“MMBC’s Community Champions program is consistent with our fundamental mission to promote recycling and to protect the environment,” said Allen Langdon, Managing Director, MMBC. “This is just one example of the type of investment we are making, on behalf of our member organizations, to raise the bar on recycling, and to position BC as a recycling leader in Canada and around the world.”
MMBC develops a wide range of education and communication materials to help local governments and its community partners with getting out the message about how and where to recycle packaging and printed paper. Resources include brochures, signage, and seasonal campaigns. Recently, MMBC launched a new ad campaign designed to start a conversation around the broader environmental benefits of recycling – including greenhouse gas reduction, energy savings and waste reduction. The campaign, Big Changes Start at Home, features scenic images of British Columbia rising out of blue box recycling bins.
The Community Champions will leverage these resources, as well as MMBC’s “Recycle It Right” app to promote and provide information about recycling in BC.
To view the ad campaign, visit: http://recyclinginbc.ca/2016campaign/
To learn more about MMBC’s community champions, visit: http://recyclinginbc.ca/communitychampions
About MMBC
MMBC oversees residential packaging and printed paper recycling throughout much of British Columbia, working in partnership with more than 160 collection and post-collection partners, including local governments, First Nations, non-profits and private companies. Collection partners pick up recycling at the curb and at depots, and post-collection partners accept, sort and market the materials to end markets.
The MMBC program is funded by the businesses that supply packaging and printed paper to BC residents, shifting recycling costs away from residents and local governments. Additional details about MMBC’s residential packaging and printed paper recycling program, including a full list of accepted materials, are available at www.RecyclinginBC.ca. A list of member businesses and information for collectors can be found at www.multimaterialbc.ca.
About The Northern Environmental Action Team (NEAT)
Serving the Peace River Region of Northern BC, NEAT provides educational programming for all ages. They work directly with students in their classrooms to reinforce waste reduction and waste conservation, and also partner with organizations and institutions to develop strategic plans aimed at reaching similar goals. Grant money from MMBC will be applied to school visits, community outreach, and residential recycling education efforts.
About the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society
Working in partnership with the City of Maple Ridge, the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society is a non-profit organization providing recycling and environmental services to residents, including curbside collection and operation the Maple Ridge Recycling Depot. Grant money will be applied to the development of promotion and education materials, and attendance at local events.
About Let’s Talk Trash
Let’s Talk Trash (LTT) is an initiative of the Powell River Regional District’s Waste Management Education Program. LTT works directly with the public, schools, commercial/business sector and recycling depot staff to provide recycling promotion and education, as well as promoting waste reduction, Zero Waste goals, composting and upcycling opportunities. Grant money will be applied to “on the ground” education, including support and training of depot staff, attendance at public information forums / events, media outreach and on-line promotion of packaging and printed paper recycling.
About Recycling and Environmental Action Planning Society (REAPS)
Non-profit REAPS has been serving the City of Prince George for 27 years. Run almost exclusively by volunteers, the group’s mandate is to lessen the environmental impact of the local waste stream. Grant money will be directed towards resident education, school programs, social media outreach, hotline operation and community events.
Media Contact:
Jeremy Twigg, Fleishman-Hillard, 604-630-0395, jeremy.twigg@fleishman.ca