Starting January 1, all cardboard within the Thompson-Nicola Regional District will have to be recycled and not sent to the landfill.
Environmental Services Manager Jamie Vieira says the new rules apply at all TNRD transfer stations, landfills in Kamloops, as well as at privately-owned facilities like the Campbell Hill Landfill near Cache Creek.
“We have a phased approach to this. So we’ll be doing communication and education right at the front lines of the landfills as well as working with the commercial hauling companies,” he told NL News.
“The enforcement side of this does target large loads. If there is over 10 per cent cardboard by volume, then that load could be subject to a fine.”
Under the new ‘Mandatory Recyclable Material’ bylaw, the fines would be 50 per cent of the total disposal fee. So for example, if it costs you $100 to dump your load, the fine would be $50.
Only a designated inspector will be able to issue a fine, and not landfill staff like scale attendants. Inspectors will also not be opening up individual garbage bags to inspect the contents.
“It is only corrugated cardboard, so not box board like cereal boxes that sort of thing. It is your typical packing boxes, things that you get packages in that type of thing we’re targeting,” Vieira added. “Cardboard is the most easily recyclable and marketable recyclable material, so we’re starting with that material for the ban.”
Over the next six months, there will also be the use of “mock tickets” – in anticipation of the new bylaw coming into effect at the start of 2022.
“Inspectors at the site can assess a load and let people know what their potential fine would be when the bylaw comes into effect, so it gives them the next six months to prepare,” Vieira said. “All customers are technically subject to this bylaw, but the enforcement side will really focus on the large loads dumped at the landfill.”
All of the enforcement will only be taking place at landfills and transfer stations, and it will be up to these individual haulers to control what is in the loads they bring to the landfill.
“We know the vast majority of customers are already complying with this bylaw by recycling their cardboard. But unfortunately we still see some loads going into landfills that have a very high percentage of easily recyclable materials,” Vieira added.
“This bylaw is simply another tool to reduce the amount of waste going to landfill.”
And moving forward, Vieira notes the bylaw – which is similar to others already in place in B.C. – could be expanded in the future to include paper, plastic, glass and metal.
