Whereas Recycle BC provides funding to local governments for the collection and processing of Extended Producer Responsibility EPR materials and the operation of residential EPR Depots; And whereas Recycle BC proposes expansion of the current program to include only incorporated municipalities with a population greater than 5,000 with curbside collection established prior to May 2014: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM lobby the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy to require Recycle BCs Program Plan to include access and financial support from Recycle BC for unincorporated and rural communities.
Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy The Recycle BC RBC program has been consulting on a revised program plan for the next five years, including establishing a revised threshold on curbside delivery. The revised plan proposes that for new curbside services a community must be an incorporated municipality, have a minimum population of 5,000 residents, and have provided garbage collection as of May 2014. Other communities would be served by depots. Consultation on the revised program plan has been ongoing since November 2017 and concluded with RBC receiving comments on the latest revised plan Phase II through September 6th, 2018. The Ministry recently issued guidance to stewardship agencies for the demonstration of producers paying the cost in their stewardship plans. The Ministry is aware of RBCs proposed threshold for curbside service. RBC consulted on proposed amendments to its EPR plan until September 6th, 2018. The final plan will be provided to the Ministry to be reviewed by a statutory decision maker. The review will include rural access criteria, an evaluation of producers paying the cost and ensuring a satisfactory consultation process was followed.