Save the earth a bit by recycling everything humanly possible!
The province now has the capabilities to recycle more than ever before.
Many more types of single-use items can now be added to Victorian’s blue box or taken to certain recycling depots.
BC’s shores are commonly lined with single-use items so the province has made efforts to implement a way to recycle them in hopes that less of the items will make their way to the shores and the ocean floor.
“Our government is working to ensure that people in BC can help to keep their communities and the environment healthy,” said Aman Singh, Parliamentary Secretary for Environment.
“By expanding our nation-leading recycling system to include more products, we are keeping more plastic out of our waterways and landfills.”
“People across the province can now recycle a wider array of single-use plastics and other materials in their blue bins and at recycling depots. This builds on the significant progress we’ve made through the CleanBC Plastics Action Plan.”
You can now add these items to your blue box:
- Plastic plates, bowls and cups
- Plastic cutlery and straws
- Plastic food storage containers
- Plastic hangers
- Paper plates, bowls and cups (with thin plastic lining)
- Aluminum foil
- Aluminum baking sheets
- Metal storage bins (thin gauge)
These items must be recycled at a recycling depot:
- Plastic sandwich and freezer bags
- Plastic shrink wrap (saran wrap)
- Plastic drop sheets and coverings
- Plastic bubble wrap
- Plastic bags (blue, clear bags, or yellow or blue bags used for curb-side collection)
- Plastic shopping bags
“This expanded materials list will allow more material to be recycled, keep it out of landfills and stop it from littering the environment,” said Tamara Burns, executive director, Recycle BC.
“Residents play a key role in recycling this material by enabling it to be collected–by putting it into their bins or taking materials to a depot.”
Producers in BC are largely responsible for collecting and recycling the packaging they use for their products through the province’s producer responsibility programs. This ensures and encourages BC’s producers to use packaging that is less harmful to the environment and easier to recycle for the consumer.
The changes to what can and can’t be recycled will come into effect immediately throughout BC.
