In a couple of months the collection of curbside recycling is going to change.
Starting in January next year, residential household recycling is going to be collected by Remple Disposal, and Waste Control Services will be picking up from multi-family buildings. The program is being managed by Recycle BC.
Residents should not notice the differences in collection when the new society takes over, said Leanne Koehn with the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society.
Maple Ridge will be the first municipality with flexible plastics curbside and apartment pickup under Recycle BC’s direct services, added Koehn.
"They can still use the same recycling boxes and bags they have now, but may be asked to sort a little differently – moving hard plastic containers into the blue box and using the red box only for flexible plastics," said Koehn, adding that Recycle BC will be coming out with more detailed information for residents soon.
Koehn did clarify that the transition to Recycle BC is for curbside and apartment recycling collection programs only. There will be no changes to the services offered at the Maple ridge Recycling Depot, and, she promised, the Ridge Meadows Recycling Society will continue to operate the depot and continue the Supported Work Program, for people with developmental disabilities.
The change is being as a result of discussions between the City of Maple Ridge and Ridge Meadows Recycling Society after other municipalities including Pitt Meadows, Langley and Vancouver, made a successful transition to Recycle BC collection.
It will shift the financial responsibility for collecting and recycling printed paper and packaging away from municipalities and onto manufacturers, retailers, and producers, who are represented by Recycle BC, explained Koehn.
Recycle BC is a nonprofit society representing industry that started in 2014. The society started a Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program, for printed paper and packaging, which was mandated by the provincial government and offered to take on direct collection services within municipalities.
For more information go to: https://recyclebc.ca/mapleridge/.
