The Surrey Board of Trade has significant concerns about the proposed amendments to BC Recycling Regulations that negatively impact diversion in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors (IC&I). These issues and comments are in line with the comments made by the Waste Management Association of BC.
“We believe there are a number of incorrect assumptions in the policy paper that if not challenged could exacerbate the economic and environmental challenges around the management of recyclables in the IC&I sector, and, most importantly, residents who will bear the cost of these programs,” said Anita Huberman, CEO of the Surrey Board of Trade.
The Surrey Board of Trade recommends that the provincial government adopt a model similar to existing regulations governing contaminated soils and hazardous waste for the BC IC&I sector. This outcomes-based approach would be focused on diverting and beneficially repurposing as much material before disposal.
“Under this approach there are no prescribed source separation technologies, but rather, given the volume and diverse composition of materials that are generated by the IC&I sector, there could be a wide range of diversion and recycling technologies employed.”
There would be no capital and operating costs borne by the regional districts and taxpayers as this approach would incent waste generators, waste services providers and other stakeholders to collaborate and/or invest in waste diversion activities along the materials chain of custody specific to the regional market. This approach is consistent with the Province’s definition of recycling under the Environmental Management Act, that waste diversion can occur at any point prior to disposal.
This would allow for flexible, market specific solutions that reflect the nuances of the local and regional market. All material recovery facilities would be restricted to an agreed upon percentage for outbound materials for final disposal. In short, compliance would be based on what is coming out of the facility, not the materials going into the facility. The agreed upon percent disposal threshold should be graduated to allow commercial businesses and institutions to develop material specific diversion programs and incorporate them into their respective operations in a timely and appropriate manner.
For more information on the paper visit https://engage.gov.bc.ca/govtogetherbc/consultation/recycling-regulation-policy-intentions-paper/
