Whereas the BC Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategys BCMOECCS Recycling Regulation regulates the Extended Producer Responsibility EPR program for residential packaging and printed paper PPP, which is managed by Recycle BC; And whereas PPP recyclables from Industrial, Commercial and Institutional ICI sources, is not currently part of the Recycling Regulation, which is allowing the financial burden of diverting this recycling stream from landfilling onto the ICI sector and local governments; And whereas the Provincial Government has instituted a phased study of ICI PPP recyclables as part of the EPR 5-year Action Plan which will not be completed until 2025: Therefore be it resolved that the Province expedite the inclusion of industrial, commercial and institutional packaging and printed paper recyclables into the Recycling Regulations much sooner than 2025.
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy ENV has heard the concerns of local governments and many impacted parties regarding the challenges of managing Industrial, Commercial and Institutional ICI waste responsibly, through recycling and waste prevention. The Extended Producer Responsibility EPR Five-Year Action Plan released in 2021 outlines priorities to advance recycling and it sets out a policy approach for improved recovery and recycling of packaging and products. The ICI sector includes a complex variety of packaging types and sources, compared to residential waste streams. ICI sector packaging includes both business to consumer and business to business packaging, as well as many specialized packaging types for different businesses and institutions ranging from food and beverage to retail to construction to education and medical sources. This complex variety of packaging types and sources will require a measured, phased approach to support effective packaging and paper waste prevention, diversion, and recycling. ENV has undertaken several actions towards a commitment to develop a policy based approach for ICI packaging and paper. ENV has completed a baseline data report for ICI waste released January 2023 and supported the creation of a working group in the Spring of 2023 to identify potential interim non-regulatory opportunities to increase diversion of ICI packaging in rural and remote communities. The working group was comprised of interested parties to identify potential interim opportunities to reduce select ICI packaging waste in North-Central BC. Continuing from this work will be the release of a discussion paper, on the prevention of ICI packaging waste, anticipated for release in early 2024. This discussion paper is the next important step in working towards the identification of policy approaches for ICI packaging and paper by 2025. The discussion paper, and accompanying engagement, will provide important opportunities to hear from local governments and impacted parties about the challenges and options within the ICI sector to prevent packaging waste and increase recycling.