The recycling bins around the city are sometimes dotted with guidelines on which materials are accepted. There may be fines for people who continually disobey these notices.

(JENNA WHEELER / iNFOnews.ca)

KAMLOOPS - Kamloops city council will consider a proposed bylaw amendment that could see $100 fines for those who don’t properly recycle.

In 2017, Kamloops partnered with Recycle B.C. to help handle city recycling, according to a report going to city council on Tuesday, Sept. 10. Part of the agreement with the provincial program was that Kamloops would reduce recycling bin contamination down to three per cent.

As it stands currently, Kamloops has one of the highest rates for contaminated recycling bins in the province at more than 15 per cent, the report says. Recycle B.C. met with the City in the summer and said it would begin to implement fines in October if the contamination isn’t brought down by at least 25 per cent.

“For single-family cart collection, the failure credits are $5,000 per load for the first infraction, $10,000 per load for the second infraction, $15,000 per load for the third infraction, and $20,000 per load for the fourth and subsequent infractions. For multifamily bin collection, the failure credits are $5,000 per load,” the report reads.

City staff looks through recycling as it is collected to ensure it is contaminant free. If an item is found that shouldn’t be there, a warning letter is sent, along with a recycling guide, to the resident, property manager or building manager.

If there continues to be an issue with a frequently contaminated bin, a bylaw officer is dispatched, although their actions are limited by the current bylaw. The proposal states that repeat offenders should be fined for continuous non-compliance, something not currently written in the existing bylaw.

“As it is currently written, the bylaw states a $100 penalty for placing hazardous materials in recycling containers. It does not currently prohibit residents from placing other forms of non-recyclable materials in their recycling containers,” reads the report.

If the bylaw is amended, it will include a list of the recyclable materials accepted by Recycle B.C. The amendment would also include a section that would prohibit any materials placed in the bins other than those listed as recyclable.

If the proposal for this bylaw amendment is approved, repeat recycling offenders could be slapped with fines right away.

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