Recycle BC — the organization responsible for managing residential recycling in the province — has directed all collectors in BC to temporarily suspend glass collection through both curbside and depot collection programs effective Monday, November 22.
This will impact recycling in areas on Vancouver Island including the Capital Regional District and the Cowichan Valley.
The CRD says that glass material collected in the capital region on behalf of Recycle BC is either processed into new materials at a facility in Abbotsford or into sandblasting materials at a processor in Quesnel.
A large majority of glass recycling from Vancouver Island is sent to processing plants in the Lower Mainland and with transportation corridors compromised due to road closures, these materials cannot be moved reliably from receiving facilities to end markets.
As a result, glass materials will not be picked up through the Capital Regional District’s curbside recycling program or dropped off at depots such as Bings Creek, Meade Creek and Peerless Road Recycling Centres in the Cowichan Valley until Recycle BC advises that collection can resume.
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Collection and recycling of all other material streams, such as paper, cardboard and mixed containers will continue unchanged, notes Recycle BC.
The organization advises for everyone to hold onto glass bottles, jars and foam packaging in the interim as the situation evovlves.
Refundable glass beverage containers are not part of Recycle BC’s program and can still be returned to bottle depots and retailers across the region.
“The situation is evolving rapidly, so we do not yet know how long this change will be required. We will provide updates as we have more information,” says Recycle BC.
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