I am writing in response to Kellen Marrs' letter Feb. 19, "Blue box program missing the mark." I too have a young family and share the writer?s goals to recycle more in B.C., protecting the natural beauty of this province. I would however like to correct a number of factual inaccuracies in Mr. Marrs' letter.
A recycling symbol imprint does not necessarily mean an item can be recycled.
According to the Canadian Plastic Industry Association, "the code is intended solely to identify resin content."
Because the resin codes don't indicate whether a plastic is recyclable, Multi-Material B.C. discourages residents from using the codes to identify whether a package is accepted in our packaging and printed paper recycling program.
Instead, we encourage referring to the list of accepted materials published on www.recyclinginbc.ca and in the RDNO recycling guide.
Some items — plastic bags and overwrap, foam packaging and glass — are accepted in MMBC's program, but must be brought to depots.
While we understand the convenience of these items being included with curbside recycling, bringing them to depots maximizes how much of all materials types actually get recycled and increases the efficiency of the system.
Similarly, Vernon and RDNO residents are asked to separate their recyclables into two categories: fibers (paper, newsprint) and containers.
Evidence shows that this home sorting process results in cleaner recyclables, lower levels of contamination, and higher recycling rates overall. In MMBC's first year of operations, this clean stream allowed MMBC to direct 93.5 per cent of collected packaging and printed paper to recycling commodity end markets – exceeding the regulated target of 85 to 90 per cent.
All in all, more items than ever before are accepted for recycling in B.C., we have achieved a standardized list of recyclables across participating communities, and financial incentives have enabled 20 new communities to start curbside recycling programs.
That's good news for the environment.
Allen Langdon, managing director
Multi-Material B.C.