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KAMLOOPS - Are you sure that goes in the recycling?

New rules start today, Apr. 3, for what goes in the blue bins in Kamloops, as the city moves over to a new recycling program. Under the provincial Recycle B.C. program, formerly Multi-Material BC, soft plastics and glass are both no longer accepted at curbside pickups, while a variety of new materials will be, says city environmental manager Glen Farrow.

“It’s mainly tweaks,” he says. “Now pizza boxes, Tetra Paks like soup and broth packs, ice cream containers are accepted.”

The most notable addition to the blue box might be aerosol cans, he says, for products like hair sprays and air fresheners. However, cans that have hazardous materials, like spray paint, aren’t allowed.

While some residents have expressed frustration at glass being taken out of curbside pickup, Farrow says glass was a relatively small amount, by weight, of what was being recycled, and often caused problems.

“In theory anything that a recycling processor gets it will attempt to process,” he says. “But glass very well could be deemed garbage.”

When glass in the recycling breaks it often gets embedded in other things or can become too small to collect and process through the curbside pick up system. The depot system is more efficient, Farrow says.

General Grant’s at 963 Camosun Cres., General Grant’s at 611 Fortune Dr., and the Lorne Street Bottle Depot at 270 Halston Ave. are the three depots working with Recycle B.C. The locations will take glass, soft plastics and styrofoam for free.

One area Farrow hopes to see improvement in is education, since the new list of what’s acceptable for blue bins is simpler.

“In the past there was a lot of different products that the general public thought was acceptable but wasn’t.” he says. “The one thing to keep in mind with this program is it’s about printed paper and packaging.”

If you’re unsure of whether or not something can be recycled you can check the city website or bring an example to the Green Living Expo on Apr. 29 and ask city staff in person.

To contact a reporter for this story, email Brendan Kergin or call 250-819-6089 or email the editor. You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom and be entered to win a monthly prize draw.

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