The City of Kamloops is planning to get tougher with homeowners who are dumping the wrong products in their recycle bins.
Under the agreement with Recycle BC there is the potential for the city to be penalized if too much non-recyclable material is thrown into the recycle bins.
Streets and Environmental Services Manager Glen Farrow says 22% of the recycled products collected last year were contaminated with garbage and other contaminates.
“We are taking a look in a lot of carts and bins to ensure we are getting a clean product. We are still seeing an awful lot of garbage in the mix. It is not just the soft plastics and glass but the bags of garbage, the bags of grass clippings, the garden hose. Straight up garbage is still showing up.”
Farrow says Recycle BC set a contamination rate of just 3% of the city’s annual recycling with the city currently sitting at a rate of 22%.