RDCK decides to walk away from financial incentives offered by Multi Material BC recycling program
By Nelson Daily Staff
While the City of Nelson had decided to agree to the financial incentives offered by the BC Government’s Multi Material BC, the Regional District of Central Kootenay has not.
Monday, the RDCK will decline the financial incentives offered by Multi Material BC (MMBC) to continue to provide recycling services in the region.
“Declining the incentives and relinquishing control of our recycling programs sends a clear message that the RDCK is not subsidizing recycling that should be fully paid for by the producers of the products,” said Board Chair John Kettle in a prepared statement.
“This decision may change the current system as we know it but it puts the onus on the private sector and the Provincial government to continue to offer the same level of service to the taxpayer as currently provided by the RDCK.”
In May 2014, the responsibility for collecting and processing household recycling will be the responsibility of the producers’ representative, MMBC.
All local governments including RDCK municipalities face a considerable challenge in determining how to manage the transition of recycling from a public service to a privately funded system with a minimum of disruption.
During September RDCK Board meeting on Thursday, the Board voted unanimously to decline the financial incentives offered by MMBC.
This decision was based on a thorough analysis that included many factors including financial viability, and environmental and social impacts.
In the end it was determined that the incentives offered to the RDCK would not recover the full costs of operating recycling programs.
The RDCK would still have to provide a taxpayer subsidy to a privately operated program. This complex and challenging decision to decline ultimately places the full onus of recycling program operation onto MMBC.
What will the system look like in 2014? MMBC has yet to decide exactly how recycling services will be structured in the Kootenays.
The RDCK will continue to provide recycling services (depots and curbside collection in Castlegar/Area I/Area J) until the proposed PPP program commences in May 2014.
“This decision was based on a thorough analysis that included many factors including financial viability and environmental and social impacts,” Kettle said in a letter to Minister of Environment Mary Polak.
“In the end the Board determined that the financial incentives offered to the RDCK would not cover the full costs of operating recycling programs in our region.”
The RDCK does not anticipate changes to the curbside program but the future locations of recycling depots are unknown at this time.
With MMBC taking responsibility for recycling of packaging and printed paper the RDCK will continue to advocate for a level of service that meets the needs of residents in all parts of the RDCK.
“The current one size fits all approach will not work in rural areas,” Kettle concluded in his letter.
“If this program fails to be executed as designed there could be a drastic increase in the materials being recycled going to landfills, completely defeating the purpose of the program.”
“It is our hope that the Province will work witih the local governments, in particular those with the preponderance of rural areas to ensure that the true spirit of the Packaging and Printed Paper Stewardship Program is realized,” Kettle concluded.
For more information about BC’s EPR system and the new PPP program contact the Recycling Council of British Columbia: www.rcbc.bc.ca or 1-800-667-4321.
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