British Columbia city initiates curbside recycling program

British Columbia’s Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) has approved a grant to Cranbrook, British Columbia, for the purchase of recycling carts to support the implementation of a Recycle BC curbside recycling program in the city. Recycle BC is a nonprofit organization responsible for residential packaging and paper recycling throughout British Columbia, servicing more than 1.8 million households in the province.

“Through the Solid Waste Management Plan process there was a very clear desire from city of Cranbrook residents for curbside recycling, and the city has been working on a plan to bring this service forward; however, we know that comes with a significant initial cost for the infrastructure,” says RDEK Board Chair Rob Gay. “This grant will offset the startup costs for the city, and once curbside recycling is implemented, it will improve service levels for residents and remove a significant volume of material from the yellow bins system. It’s a win-win for everyone.”

RDEK will provide up to $691,641 to be paid equally over five years for the purchase of 6,231 carts, according to a news release from RDEK. The funding will come from a reserve account within the Central Solid Waste Service, so the new program will not result in any increased costs.

Recently, Recycle BC reached out to municipalities that provide curbside waste collection to offer funding for the curbside collection of recyclables. The city would be compensated for each metric ton of curbside recyclables collected, which would help offset the ongoing operational costs of providing this curbside service. Currently, the RDEK pays for every metric ton collected through a yellow bin program, and introduction of a curbside recycling program in Cranbrook is estimated to save $153,000 per year in the yellow bins alone.

“Our hope is that by making recycling easier within the city of Cranbrook, we will see a reduction in the recyclables being thrown in the landfill,” Gay says. In a recent waste audit, it was determined that up to 19 percent of waste collected in the category of municipal solid waste could have been recycled through either the yellow bin program or the Recycle BC Program.

“We applaud the city of Cranbrook for taking steps to implement curbside within the city and are pleased to be able to provide support through our Central Solid Waste Service,” Gay says.