Newspapers are not beholden to becoming a part of the province's approved packaging and printed paper recycling plan, said the head of the group running the new stewardship plan.
Participation in the Multi-Material B.C. (MMBC) program is not mandatory, managing director Allen Langdon stressed during an info session on the new recycling program hosted by the Prince George Chamber of Commerce Thursday.
"Under the regulation you have two options: you can file your own stewardship plan and determine how you're going to recycle 75 per cent or you can join MMBC," said Langdon, who called it "unfortunate the newspaper industry didn't take a more active role in MMBC."
Langdon said the deal put forward by the industry was to offer in-kind contributions instead of paying any fees, like the newspapers in other provinces do.
"And when we took that to our members they said that's not acceptable," Langdon said.
MMBC would be happy to work with the newspaper industry - which has been one of the provincial program's most vocal opponents - provided they "don't have to change [their] level-playing-field model," he said.
The province's newspaper have said they're facing a financial hit of anywhere between $10 and $14 million from fees if they sign on to the MMBC program. Langdon said he would expect the actual figure to be closer to half of that.
"It's going to cost a substantial amount of money. In your plans, how many of those job losses are you expecting for newspapers?" asked Prince George Free Press general manager Ron Drillen at the event the session held at the Central B.C. Railway and Forestry Museum.
Langdon said they weren't expecting any, however, as the newspaper industry hasn't signed on with the MMBC program, they aren't his main focus.
"At this point, 30 days out, this is my focus. I have to respect there are other businesses out there and they have their own business decisions to make," he said. "But for me, I have to concentrate on the 850 companies that have joined MMBC and who we're moving forward with."
What happens if newspapers are placed in the bins provided by collector Emterra Environmental, even though the industry hasn't signed on, asked chamber president Ranjit Gill.
Until such a time as newspapers submit their own stewardship plan that is approved by the province, they will still be collected under the MMBC program.
Brewers Distributor Ltd. is the only other group that has submitted a stewardship plan to the Ministry of Environment for its secondary packaging, but it has not been approved.
Prince George Citizen publisher Colleen Sparrow questioned why prices for participation were higher than in other provinces that have extended producer responsibility programs.
Some examples of the different fees highlighted by the B.C. Chamber of commerce include:
Newsprint - B.C.: $0.20/kg; Quebec: $0.15/kg; Manitoba: $0.02/kg; Ontario: $0.04/kg
Corrugated cardboard - B.C.: $0.29/kg; Quebec: $0.25/kg; Manitoba: $0.10/kg; Ontario: $0.08/kg
Steel aerosol - B.C.: $0.52/kg; Quebec: $0.11/kg; Manitoba: $0.07/kg; Ontario: $0.07/kg
Langdon said it partly has to do with B.C.'s deposit program where consumers can return aluminum cans and beverage containers for a refund, which isn't the case in other provinces. That means collectors in places such as Ontario are picking up more material that they can sell to end markets, he said.
The first year will be the most difficult for businesses as they adjust to the new program and determine how much packaging an printed paper they're putting into residences, Langdon said. "After that, it's an exercise in math."
Small business owners looking for simplicity can use a tool on MMBC's website (www.multimaterialbc.ca) to pay a flat fee of $550 or $1200, depending on their estimated packing and printed paper output, instead of tracking the actual figures.
The local chamber is hosting another recycling-related event on April 22, where representatives from the B.C. Chamber of Commerce will go over what the MMBC plan means for business owners, what other communities are doing and how the chamber network intends to advocate to the government for changes. That session begins at 10 a.m. in the chamber's boardroom. To register, call the Chamber office at 250-562-2454 or register online at http://pgchamber.chambermaster.com/events.
