Plastic recycling bags need to be removed by hand will wrap around sorting equipment. As a result, the regional district will no longer allow them, starting in 2020. (Contributed photo)
By Lyonel Doherty
Aberdeen Publishing
Bye, bye blue bags.
That sums it up for the sturdy old plastic next year.
As part of a signed new contract with RecycleBC, the regional district will no longer allow blue bags (or clear bags) as containers for recycling. The contract requires the phase-out by July 1, 2020.
In a report to the board, public works manager N. Webb said RecycleBC announced in 2017 that it would require the phase-out.
Rural collection in the region, including the Town of Osoyoos, allow residents to use clear or blue bags as containers for recycling. All other plastic bags, sacs and pouches have been banned since 2014.
Webb said the reasons for banning plastic bags include: no end market for collected blue bags; high cost to remove blue bags to allow for sorting; and plastic is the highest source of contamination in paper recycling.
Solid waste management coordinator Cameron Baughen said every plastic bag is removed from recycling equipment by hand.
“Once ripped or shredded, bags get mixed in with other recycling. They are very hard to separate and will wrap around sorting equipment.”
In fact, plastic bags result in constant shutdowns of recycling facilities.
Baughen said the RDOS will be mailing rural residents (later this month) to consider three options other than blue bags.
Webb noted they have developed a public consultation survey for residents to determine what they would prefer: one large cart (extra $14 per year), two medium bins (extra $10 per year), or their own container that they buy or rent.
Baughen said they may ask residents to stop using blue bags in advance of July 2020 to provide them with time to adapt. But that hasn’t been decided yet.
