By Times Chronicle Staff

Residents of Osoyoos are failing in their recycling, something that could end up costing residents more as a result of increased service fees levied by the provincial authority.

With contamination rates more than double what they should be, Recycle BC, the provincial authority overseeing recycling across the province, is requiring the Town to reduce its contamination rates by 25 per cent.

Currently, Osoyoos’ recycling contamination rate averages more than 8 per cent when it is contractually obligated to keep rates below 3 per cent.

Contamination rates for May 2022 to October 2023 were 8.35 per cent and Recycle BC’s requirement that Town reduce this by 25 per cent will bring it down to 6.5 per cent or less.

Contamination can lead to increased service fees and recycling ending up in the landfill. It can also put workers at risk and damage equipment used in the recycling process.

Those who continue to contaminate their recycling will receive notice alerting them of the item(s) not accepted, the town said in a newsletter. “The goal is to never leave a cart behind, but households that continue to contaminate could see their blue carts not being collected,” it said.

Simply put, contamination is material that is not accepted for collection in Recycle BC’s curbside or multi-family packaging and paper collection program.

Not recycling properly can reduce the ability to effectively recycle material or meet the requirements of recycling markets. If the material can be recovered, the commodity value of recyclables can be reduced.

Contamination is a major obstacle in the recycling process and occurs when material that is not accepted for recycling is put in recycling bins

Some material is not well suited to being mixed with other recyclables in curbside/multi-family recycling programs. Materials like plastic bags and foam packaging should be taken to a Recycle BC depot for recycling.

Examples of contamination:

  • Material not accepted by Recycle BC;
  • Material that is not packaging or paper;
  • Material that can’t be recycled with current recycling technology;
  • Hazardous material, including batteries, propane or butane cylinders, needles, lighters;
  • Containers with contents (e.g., food or liquid) inside;
  • Material sorted incorrectly;
  • Material tied in a plastic bag (e.g., shredded paper in a plastic bag – NOTE: Shredded paper can be recycled if it is contained in a paper bag or box, not loose);
  • Hazardous materials such as medical sharps, propane tanks, flammable liquids and batteries can be extremely dangerous when collected, and in some cases have caused fires in processing facilities in BC.

Other conditions causing recycling challenges:

  • Material collected in a way that doesn’t allow the materials to be recovered for recycling (e.g., recyclables tied in a small plastic bag before being placed in your recycling collection container);
  • Containers with more than 10 per cent of contents remaining;
  • Material mis-sorted into the wrong bin.

Ways to prevent contamination:

  • Rinse your containers as soon as they’re empty. Put a little warm water and soap inside and then put the lid back on to shake it up and loosen anything that’s stuck.
  • Sort your material. If you don’t have room for your recycling bins/bags inside, keep re-usable shopping bags or smaller bins to sort your material according to how your recycling is collected from your home (paper, containers and possibly glass) and depot-only materials – so it’s an easy transfer to the curb on collection day.
  • Check the Recycle BC material list to see what is accepted and how to sort it and download the app or find the material list at RecycleBC.ca/Materials. Those without access to the internet or an app can call the Recycling Hotline at 1-800-732-9253.
  • Follow local recycling guidelines. In some areas of BC, Recycle BC manages recycling collection and the guidelines can be found in the recycling guides available on its website.