WHEREAS local governments in British Columbia under Province of BC legislation are responsible for managing solid waste diversion programs including collection and marketing of recyclable materials; AND WHEREAS product stewardship recycling programs have demonstrated far greater resiliency to market fluctuations than local government recycling programs: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM urge the Province of British Columbia immediately enact a stewardship program for all packaging as defined in the Environmental Management Act and that the time frame for full implementation of a packaging stewardship program be no more than two years; AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UBCM urge the provincial Ministry of Environment to develop a cost recovery formula whereby industry stewards pay for the planning of a packaging stewardship program.
MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT The Ministry of Environment has committed in its Service Plan to implement industry product stewardship programs for two new products in each three year period. Packaging is one of several product categories under consideration for addition to the Recycling Regulation. Should packaging be added to the Regulation, producers of products with packaging would be required to take responsibility for the life-cycle management of their packaging.