There will be six fewer recycling locations within the city today.
Residents without curbside recycling will no longer be able to bring materials to drop depot bins at Bon Voyage Plaza, Ferndale Fire Hall, Hart Mall, Nechako Bottle Depot, Our Saviours Lutheran Church and Lakewood Alliance Church.
Those bins will have new homes at the Bear Lake, Chief Lake, West Lake, Buckhorn, Hixon and Willow River transfer stations.
The Regional District of Fraser-Fort George made the decision to shift the receptacles in the spring after renegotiating its contract with Cascades Recovery after it became clear that under the new packaging and printed paper stewardship program as run by Multi-Material B.C. (MMBC), there wouldn't be producer-funded collection throughout the region.
The city of Prince George is the only RDFFG member receiving MMBC-funded recycling service. At the end of the year, the city residents will no longer be paying for regional district recycling, leaving the electoral areas and McBride, Mackenzie and Valemount to share the cost until the end of next May.
During last week's Union of B.C. Municipalities convention in Whistler, local government delegates endorsed the regional district's resolution to push the Environment Minister to change provincial recycling regulations to make sure stewardship collection programs are available where collectable items are sold.
Existing drop depot bins will remain at Foothills Boulevard landfill, the Quinn Street recycling depot, in Mackenzie and at the Vanway, Cumming Road, Shelly McBride and Valemount transfer stations.
Instead of the cardboad, mixed paper, plastic milk jugs and tin cans traditionally accepted in the bins, more recyclables can be dropped off to align with the new packaging and printed paper program.
New materials allowed include :
- plastic bottle, jugs and jars with caps and lids
- aseptic boxes and cartons (i.e. soups and sauces)
- frozen dessert boxes
- paper hot and cold beverage cups
- plastic pails less than 25 litres (i.e. laundry detergent)
- plastic clamshells
- aluminum foil wrap and takeout containers
- aerosol cans and caps
- microwave meal bowls and cups
- spiral wound paper cans and lids (i.e. frozen juice concentrate)
Glass, Styrofoam and plastic bags are not accepted in the bins, but can be recycled by bringing them to the Hart Return-It Centre or the Prince George Recycling and Return-It Centre on Petersen Road.
