Urgent Notice to Businesses; Deadline for Meeting BC Stewardship Obligations is Past Due

If your company sells packaged goods or provides marketing and printed materials to BC residential consumers, this is a reminder that BC regulations required your company to submit a stewardship plan to the Ministry of Environment, or join a collective plan, by November 19, 2012.

Multi-Material British Columbia (MMBC), a not-for-profit stewardship agency, has submitted a stewardship plan for printed paper and packaging on behalf of 215 companies that do business in BC. A copy of the plan along with its Consultation Summary is now available at these links:

There are many more businesses that sell into the BC marketplace that have not yet signed on to MMBC’s stewardship plan nor have they submitted their own plan.

Take Action Now to Protect Your Ability to Conduct Business in British Columbia

It is imperative that businesses that introduce packaged goods and printed paper in the BC marketplace take immediate action to comply with Schedule 5 of the BC Recycling Regulationwhich stipulates that businesses must fulfill their obligations under the recycling regulation “in order to sell, offer for sale or distribute or use in a commercial enterprise the product in British Columbia” (Recycling Regulation Section 2(1)).

By joining MMBC’s Stewardship Plan, your company will fulfill its legal obligation under the regulation and your ability to sell or distribute in BC will be protected.

It’s still not too late. While MMBC has already submitted its plan, it has indicated to the Ministry of Environment that it will continue accepting new members. To appoint MMBC as the stewardship agency to meet the requirements of the BC Recycling Regulation on your behalf, complete a Letter of Intent and forward it to producers@multimaterialbc.ca.

To find out more go to www.multimaterialbc.ca or send us an email atproducers@multimaterialbc.ca.v