Still a little bit of yogurt left in that yogurt container? Don’t try and recycle it. Some plastic film? Not recyclable.
A tin can with pasta sauce on the bottom? Also not recyclable.
The rules for recycling in Chase have tightened up, due to changes in the global recycling situation.
Joni Heinrich, chief administrative officer for the Village of Chase, explains that for many years the village has had a mixed recycling system where residences and a few small businesses could put all their recyclables into one bin for curbside recycling. Those recyclables would then be taken to a Thompson Nicola Regional District depot in Pritchard. A company in Kamloops would take the recyclables and sell them to other companies.
However, because of shifts in the global recycling market, that company is now having trouble getting rid of mixed recyclables. If there is any contamination whatsoever, Heinrich says, the companies they sell to won’t take them.
Related: Recycling programs stay status quo
“So basically we’ve been told by the TNRD, for our recycling pickup, they can still take it to their depot, but right now they have trouble taking it anywhere else.”
That means that any recycling that comes from Chase must be without contamination, so that the TNRD will eventually be able to sell it.
“When they sell their big piles of tins to whomever, those buyers are saying, it can’t have any contamination.”
Without contamination means it must meet all the guidelines set out for recycling in Chase, such as no glass, no food contamination, only the permitted recycling numbers for plastic, and more.
The village will have employees come around and take a look at the curbside pickup containers to ensure that the recyclables are not contaminated. If they are, they won’t be picked up and they will be tagged explaining why.
Heinrich says the village is waiting to get on with Recycle BC, but that likely won’t happen until early 2019.
When that happens, “they will take our mix, but we can’t have any contaminants. No glass, no film plastic, no food…”
Another recycling change is that the large bin the TNRD supplied at the Chase arena has been removed, a move that has left some residents angry.
“Somebody called it wish-cycling. Throw it in a bin in the hope it is recyclable… maybe it is somewhere, but not in this system.”
Heinrich reiterates that the markets globally are very strict now and want clean recyclables. The best plan, she adds, is for people to reduce the amount of garbage and recyclables.
@SalmonArmmarthawickett@saobserver.netLike us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
