WHEREAS the Regional District of Central Kootenay adopted an interest statement on Extended Producer Responsibility Programs in November 2011, which stated in part that: - All actors in the product stewardship system, including local governments, must be adequately compensated for their role; - All stakeholders, including local governments, must have a genuine say in how product stewardship programs are planned and managed; And further: - The current owners of this infrastructure must be adequately compensated for historic investments; AND WHEREAS remote and rural private sector depots are withdrawing from product stewardship programs due to their overly onerous rules and inadequate financial compensation: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government review the EPR program performance data it has collected, and based on program performance issues indicated by the data, revamp the Extended Producer Responsibility Program before it collapses in remote and rural BC.
Ministry of Environment The Recycling Regulation establishes stewardship responsibilities for producers of prescribed products. The regulation requires the provision of reasonable and free consumer access to collection facilities. Producers or their delegated agencies determine how to meet this requirement and private depots make business decisions about whether to operate within a stewardship program. While the Ministry oversees stewardship program performance to ensure regulatory requirements are met, it does not interfere with business-to-business dealings. In May 2011, the Recycling Regulation was amended to make it a regulatory requirement to report annually on the total amount of the producers product recovered in each regional district effective July 1, 2013. This will help inform rural service levels and ensure that stewardship programs are being adequately delivered. Regional District data reported by stewardship programs will be available to local governments and the public in stewardship program annual reports, which are posted online. To enhance collection services for rural residents, the producers or their stewardship agencies continue to work toward expanding their return collection networks and many supplement their collection efforts with alternative options such as one-day product round-ups or mail-back options. Local governments are encouraged to participate in industry stakeholder consultations for new stewardship programs or during the five-year stewardship plan reviews. Effective consultation may include suggesting results-based performance measurement criteria and performance targets that would demonstrate adequate rural coverage, as well as appropriate cost-sharing models between stewardship agencies and local governments. The Province will continue to work with local governments, producers and stewardship agencies to ensure continuous improvement of BCs product stewardship programs. The Recycling Regulation is deliberately silent with respect to financing mechanisms. Proposals for cost-sharing agreements between producers or stewardship agencies and local governments with respect to managing product wastes regulated under the Recycling Regulation would need to be negotiated between these parties directly. The Ministry is working to ensure stewardship programs engage with local governments and conduct ongoing dialogue.