There’s more recycling than ever after the holidays in Greater Victoria, but where does it all end up?

CHEK

WATCH: People across the Capital Region have been placing mountains of recycling at the curb for the past week but where does it all go once it’s picked up? April Lawrence finds out.

Christmas is the busiest time of year for recycling facilities.

“Christmas seasons we can climb up to 2,000 tonnes for fibres, containers, glass from the regional district,” said Cascades Recovery Plant Manager Doug Stevens.

If you live in the CRD, once your recycling is picked up from the curb, it’s taken to Cascades Recovery in Victoria’s Rock Bay neighbourhood.

The piles of glass, paper and plastic building with every passing truck, especially this time after the holidays.

“We definitely have to put on extra shifts to get the material processed,” said Stevens.

Everything brought there is cleaned, packaged and sent to market ? tin and glass are processed locally, plastic and mixed paper goes to the Lower Mainland, and cardboard goes all the way to Asia.

But as of Jan. 1, China has tightened its rules on what it will accept, leaving most Canadian recyclers scrambling, but not B.C.

“We’re still able to access the Chinese market because we just simply have the cleanest residential material probably in North America,” said Recycle BC Managing Director Allen Langdon.

The piles of material that come in are sorted by people who pick out the items that shouldn’t be there.

“Christmas time it would be the ribbons and bows, plastic wrapping paper, in general, I’d say batteries and electronics,” said Stevens.

April LawrenceApril Lawrence

Recent Stories

Send us your news tips and videos!