Full recycling of all packaging coming to Langley City

One of the things that makes me proud about BC is our leadership on recycling. In the next few years, there will be practically no reason why household waste shoud end up in a landfill. I received the following press release in my inbox last night about a recycling trial in the City of Langley. In a few years, we'll finally be able to recycling all that annoying packaging on products. Of course it would be better if there was less packaging used period, but this is a great start.

For 800 homes in the City of Langley, curbside recycling will work a little differently during a 12-week test recycling project running from February 7 through April 27, 2012.  

The temporary change in the recycling program for this group of householders stems from the provincial government’s recent amendment to the Recycling Regulation to include the Packaging and Printed Paper Product Category.  The regulation requires that product producers be responsible for their packaging after consumers have purchased the products. This new product and packaging stewardship program prescribed under the regulation will come into effect on May 19, 2014.

In anticipation of this legislated change, the City has been asked to help test a potential collection system. 

“The City of Langley has partnered with our recycling company, Emterra Environmental, the Canadian Plastics Industry Association and a number of plastics manufacturing companies to test the collection and processing system for empty plastic bags, plastic overwrap and foam packaging. The test will be conducted in a controlled environment in order to assess the systems that are needed to collect, process and market these materials, according to the requirements of the regulation.  This is a first-of-its-kind test in B.C. and we are excited that our City has been asked to participate in the test recycling project,” Mayor Peter Fassbender announced today.

For the duration of the test, from Tuesday, February 7 through Friday, April 27, householders in the test areas will collect plastic bags, plastic overwrap (clear wrap used for large packages of bathroom tissue, paper towels, cases of beverages, etc.) and foam containers and packaging for recycling instead of disposing of these materials in the garbage. They willl be asked to put empty plastic bags and overwrap into a blue, see-through recycling bag and empty foam containers and packaging into a second recycling bag. When a bag is full, they’ll set it out with their regular recycling.  Emterra Environmental will collect the special recycling bags along with the regular recyclables to test various aspects of collecting and processing the materials.