WHEREAS stakeholders have indicated issues have not been resolved with Multi-Material BC implementation; THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM request the Province ensure full and robust consultation in the implementation of Multi-Material BC to ensure financial fairness to our constituents and maximize diversion rates.
Ministry of Environment The Ministry of Environment Ministry is supportive of the request for additional consultation and dialogue regarding Multi-Material BCs MMBC implementation of its stewardship plan for Packaging and Printed Paper PPP and is very aware of some of the financial and service delivery inequities that are emerging. Although the intent of the Recycling Regulation and various performance measures set out in MMBCs approved stewardship plan are designed to ensure all sectors are properly serviced without discrimination to geographic location, types of existing services, or related costs, this has not been the case for several jurisdictions to date due to a variety of reasons. Extensive consultation on the regulation and proposed MMBC plan has spanned several years, numerous working groups including the UBCM Recycling Negotiating Committee and committees and was undertaken in venues around the province. However, now that implementation is underway, continued dialogue and input is needed. Put in context, this is the largest and most complex Extended Producer Responsibility program in the history of BC and is still very much in its infancy. And although some 170 collection agreements are in place with local governments and other collectors across the province, these financial and service delivery inequities with specific jurisdictions do justify greater attention. Therefore, the Ministry has allocated additional staff and resources towards assisting both MMBC and various local governments with revisiting outstanding issues and finding common ground onto which we can collectively finish building the comprehensive program envisioned.