The City’s books recycling pilot project will be extended for the rest of the year, having already diverted more than 12,300lb (5,550kg) of books to recycling, which otherwise may have landed in the landfill.
“Penticton residents have truly embraced this program, and I’m proud to see our community working together to keep recyclable material out of the landfill,” says Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield. “Each of these small steps makes a difference and we’re thrilled the book recycling program is showing positive results.”
The City launched the three-month trial on Jan. 25, 2023 after noticing that residents were placing books into their home recycling carts, which are not accepted by RecycleBC and count as contamination. The campaign involved partnering with ‘Planet Earth Recycling’ to place recycling bins in the lobby of the Penticton Library.
“Through this pilot project, we are providing a convenient location for residents to dispose of books that can’t be read anymore, while also raising awareness about the importance of keeping books out of our home recycling carts,” says David Kassian, Sustainability Supervisor. “The program has shown remarkable results, with virtually no books found in our last recycling audit by RecycleBC.”
Residents are reminded that books placed into the ‘Planet Earth Recycling’ bins will be destroyed and the paper recycled. The types of books that may be recycled include those that are torn, missing pages and cannot be read again. Others include old textbooks, out-of-date guides, encyclopedias and informational books that are older than five years.
Books that are gently used may be donated to Penticton Public Library, charities and community organizations, or added to a ‘Little Library,’ with a list of those throughout the community available at penticton.ca/books.
Penticton’s goal is to lower the community’s recycling contamination rate from 13.3 per cent to 10 per cent or lower by November 2023. For more information about Penticton’s recycling program, or if you’re not sure what goes where, visit penticton.ca/recycling.