BC has a few things to learn when it comes to recycling

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – When it comes to the cost of recycling, our province lags behind Alberta, according to a new report, which indicates we’re actually less than half as efficient on this issue as our neighbours.

In this province it ends up costing 2.3 cents to recycle and transport the average container.

That compares with just one cent per can or bottle in Alberta, according to Susan Collins with the Container Recycling Institute.

“The more efficiently the program is run, the more cost-efficiently it is run, the less that affects the consumer’s wallet,” says Collins. “It’s always something where there’s a balance that needs to be struck.

That said, Collins praises B.C. for being the first jurisdiction to introduce mandatory refunds, noting 84.2 percent of containers are eventually recycled.

But there are transparency issues when it comes to financial reporting.

“There could be more transparency regarding the finances,” says Collins. “Right now the electronics program and beverage container program finances are co-mingled into one set of accounts, and it’s not really clear.”

Encorp Pacific, one of two private stewardship agencies which carries out recycling in this province, has the highest container recycling fee of any such organization in Canada, according to the report.

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