North Cowichan is warning that crews will no longer be collecting recycling left at curbside if it is contaminated.
The municipality says it was recently asked to ensure no more than three per cent of recycling is contaminated by the provincial Recycle BC program, but the district’s rate is currently at nine per cent.
If recycling is delivered to a sorting depot with contaminated recycling, North Cowichan can be issued fines.
The municipality says this step comes after a year long education campaign aimed at reducing contamination by 25 per cent.
Waste Connections completed curbside recycling audits and left stickers on bins that had contaminated recycling.
Most common contaminants in the city are:
- Garbage or kitchen waste
- Electronics
- Plastic bags and film, styrofoam, and glass
- Bagged recycling – recycling placed at the curb should be loose and not inside a plastic bag.
In a news release, the district notes that yellow recycling bags are acceptable, but otherwise recycling should be loose.
If uncertain if an item is recyclable, the municipality recommends checking its Waste Wizard tool.
READ MORE: Nanaimo recycling over three times higher than allowable contamination limit
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