As controversy continues to swirl around the impending start of the province's newest stewardship program, the agency at the forefront continues to make steps towards implementation.
This week, Multi-Material B.C. clarified that although certain material won't be eligible for pick up at the curb, it can still be returned. This includes non-deposit glass containers, plastic foam packaging and plastic film.
"By separating these materials and delivering them to depots, residents can help ensure that more packaging is recycled through MMBC's system," said an email to The Citizen from an MMBC spokesperson.
MMBC represents a variety of producers of packaging and printed paper products, which the province legislated in 2011 as being responsible for the stewardship of the materials they introduce to consumers as of May 19.
Although curbside recycling collection of the rest of the material included in the new program won't begin in Prince George until the beginning of September, there are two locations in town where residents can begin dropping off packaging and printed paper on the program's May start date: the Hart Return-It Centre and P.G. Recycling and Return-It Centre.
Meanwhile, opposition to the program continues to grow and has made its way to the B.C. legislative assembly.
On Monday and Wednesday, Vancouver Island MLA Lana Popham, Opposition critic for small business, tourism, arts and culture, questioned the viability of the MMBC program.
"The Premier has called the introduction of MMBC a bumpy road," Popham said Monday. "For many B.C. businesses, residents and environmentalists, this road is not bumpy - it's utterly impassable."
On Wednesday, Popham stood again in the legislature to ask if Premier Christy Clark would heed the call of the Rethink It B.C. campaign, and delay the start of the stewardship program.
The campaign is run by a coalition of nine business and industry stakeholders from the B.C. Agriculture Council, the B.C. Bottle and Recycling Depot Association, the B.C. Landscape and Nursery Association, the B.C. Printing and Imaging Association, the B.C. and Yukon Community Newspapers Association (of which The Citizen is a member), the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters, Newspapers Canada (The Citizen is also a member of this group), and the Waste Management Association of B.C.
"The premier is chucking B.C.'s recycling system into a giant dumpster by completely botching the implementation," Popham said.
In response, Minister of State for Tourism and Small Business Naomi Yamamoto said she was surprised Popham was opposing a "program that essentially transfers the recycling costs from taxpayers to the actual people, the producers, who produce the packaging and printed paper in the first place."
The stewardship program encourages producers to reduce the amount of packaging they put into the marketplace, Yamamoto said. The North Vancouver MLA also pointed to a policy introduced in early February which outlined exemptions for small businesses.
MMBC has begun collecting fees from its member producers who weren't deemed exempt, but not everyone has signed on to the program, which begins in less than two months.
In a February 2013 letter packaging and printed paper producers, the Environmental Standards Branch set out the consequences of non compliance, saying "persons contravening the regulation commit an offence and are liable for enforcement action which can include fines of up to $200,000 upon conviction and/or may be prohibited from selling, offering for sale, distributing or using the product in a commercial enterprise in British Columbia."
However, businesses won't be getting the book thrown at them right away.
"There is no intention to hit producers with significant fines and enforcement as of May 19," said a written statement from the Ministry of the Environment. "The province will work with MMBC and collectors on how any progressive enforcement will take place in the future if there are non-compliance issues."
It is up to the province, not MMBC to stay on top of the producers. "In fact, ensuring compliance with its regulatory requirements is one of the ministry's principal objectives," the ministry statement said.
When asked about the Rethink It B.C. campaign to delay the start of the packing and printed paper program, the ministry's response was to reiterate that is has approved MMBC's stewardship plan, "which includes increasing collection levels province wide and introducing blue box service to many communities who previously did not have curbside recycling.
"There are already 86 communities that have signed on for the MMBC program starting on May 19. They are part of 170 service providers who have reached an agreement with MMBC to provide recycling services to over 1.25 millions households (73 per cent of B.C. residents)."
