Recent audits of curbside residential recycling in the Central Okanagan show high levels of garbage are still landing in the curbside recycling carts, and municipalities are facing stiff penalties if the trend continues.
Waste audits conducted regularly by Recycle BC show contamination in curbside recycling carts to be well above allowable levels of 3%. This follows a year of targeted education aimed at reducing contamination.
Manager of Engineering Services Travis Kendel says “because we did not observe a large enough reduction in contamination this year, we are facing the real possibility of financial penalties. These penalties could mean increased costs for residents with curbside service. We are diligently working to reduce contamination and have found targeted bin inspections and direct education by the RDCO Waste Reduction Office ambassadors to be one of the most valuable tools to encourage correct recycling. Carts with contamination will be left behind on collection day.”
The most common recycling contaminants are:
Another problem is bagged recycling. Recycling materials should always be placed loose and not inside a plastic bag. Recycle BC considers bagged recyclables as contamination (which causes problems with sorting machines).
To find out more about what to recycle in your curbside cart or at a depot, visit rdco.com/recycle, download the free Recycle Coach App, or call the Regional Waste Reduction Office at 250-469-6250.