Whereas local governments are eligible to join the Recycle BC program as a contracted collector provided that they are an incorporated municipality with a minimum population of 5,000 residents and have had a curbside garbage collection program in place for a minimum of two years in advance of the new curbside program for the same households; And whereas Recycle BCs Packaging and Paper Product Extended Producer Responsibility Plan, revised June 2019, notes that in 2021, Recycle BC will assess the feasibility of servicing smaller, densely populated communities of less than 5,000 residents that are immediately adjacent to an existing curbside service area, with the same requirement for curbside garbage collection: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM ask the Province of British Columbia to amend the recycling regulation to require the inclusion of communities with populations of less than 5,000 to be included in the Recycle BC Curbside Collection Program.
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy Extended Producer Responsibility EPR programs are required under BCs Recycling Regulation to adequately provide for reasonable and free consumer access to collection facilities or collection services. The Ministry expects programs to demonstrate continuous improvement in this area. The Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy ENV is aware of challenges related to recycling in communities that do not have access to recycling services and continues to work with Recycle BC to enhance access and services in rural and remote areas. This includes a requirement for Recycle BC to make the current curbside equivalency and adjacency eligibility criteria more accommodating of smaller jurisdictions. Recycle BC submitted an EPR plan amendment on August 4, 2022, assessing the feasibility of servicing smaller, densely populated communities of less than 5,000 residents that are immediately adjacent to an existing curbside service area, as directed by the Ministry. ENV staff reviewed the proposed curbside adjacency amendment, and the Statutory Decision Maker issued a preliminary decision letter in December 2022 outlining a further change to ensure that Recycle BC maintains responsibility for servicing communities that meet the criteria. A final decision will be made in spring 2023, pending further negotiation with Recycle BC.