Today, Recycle BC released its 2016 annual report. In Recycle BC’s third year of operation, Recycle BC continued to provide reliable and convenient packaging and paper product recycling services in British Columbia.
In 2016, we increased access to recycling services in BC communities, with over 1.8 million BC households having access to Recycle BC services through curbside, multi-family or depot services.
Other highlights include:
Over 185,000 tonnes of packaging and paper product was collected from households and depots across British Columbia, representing a recovery rate of 78%- An additional 16,000 households received curbside or multi-family services, and an additional 129,000 had access to Recycle BC services through curbside, multi-family or depot services
- Over 1.27 million BC households in 154 communities had access to Recycle BC curbside or multi-family services
- 98% of households in BC had depot access
- Recycle BC expanded the communities it directly services, taking over recycling services in the City of Vancouver and the City of Pitt Meadows
- A nine-month streetscape pilot project was launched in partnership with the City of Vancouver
- Recycle BC is working with businesses on projects to optimize recycling of their materials
Recycle BC continued to invest in resident education and partnerships with communities, producers, and environmental organizations to promote recycling. Recycle BC’s public education campaign reached millions of BC residents in 2016, including advertising, a community events team, recycling guides and ongoing updates to the RecyclingInBC.ca website and social media channels to ensure residents had information and resources to support recycling efforts. In addition, Recycle BC partnered to find new recycling solutions with producers and in communities with projects like the Streetscape pilot and a partnership with Keurig to optimize recycling of their K-Cup® pod. Recycle BC also continued to be an active participant in the New Plastics Economy, an initiative to redesign the future of plastic packaging.
Recycle BC maintained a strong financial position in 2016, with operating reserves in place to meet cash flow requirements and provide financial stability for the program’s commitments and onboarding new communities.
Recycle BC is North America’s first ever 100% Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for residential packaging and paper product recycling where industry has assumed full financial and managerial responsibility, and continues to serve as a model for other jurisdictions, gaining international recognition as a leader in the recycling industry.