The Regional District of East Kootenay (RDEK) will be officially opening its newest Recycle BC Depot at the Fernie Transfer Station next Monday, opening up dozens of new recycling opportunities for residents and visitors.

“The new Recycle BC Depot at the Fernie Transfer Station provides residents with the ability to recycle a wide range of items that are not accepted in the local yellow bin program or Fernie’s curbside recycling,” said RDEK Environmental Services Manager Kevin Paterson. Some of the items that will be accepted at the new Depot include Styrofoam, #7 plastics, milk substitutes, zippered bags like Ziplocs and pet food bags, aerosol cans and more.

And, while being able to recycle over 76 additional items at the Recycle BC Depot provides residents with a host of new options to reduce their overall waste, the benefit doesn’t end there. “Because we are operating a regulated Recycle BC Depot, we are classified as a collector,” explained Paterson. “That means every tonne of product the RDEK collects at this depot, we will be compensated by Recycle BC, which will save tax dollars for the public.” By contrast, the RDEK has to pay for every tonne of recyclables collected in the yellow bins.

Recycle BC – and the RDEK’s new depot – are part of an Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) program for printed paper and packaging. Many people will be familiar with some of the older EPR programs for things like tires, oil and electronics, where you pay an eco or environmental fee at the store when you buy. That fee is intended to support a system for that product to be recycled and managed through the end of its life. This packaging EPR program is managed by Recycle BC and the eco-fees are charged directly to the producers rather than consumers.

“The Recycle BC Program requires depots to be run with very specific guidelines, including gated and staffed locations and a bit more separation of materials,” explained Paterson. “Our existing yellow bin program does not meet their program specifications, so we have had to get creative as we are committed to increasing recycling opportunities for our residents without costing taxpayers extra.”

The yellow bin system remains in place; however, it only accepts paper, cardboard, tin/aluminum cans, grocery/shopping bags and plastics #1-#6. “It is very important to understand is that this is a new option and a totally separate program from the yellow bin system or City of Fernie curbside recycling. People will have to use the Recycle BC Depot at the Transfer Station if they want to access these new recycling opportunities as we do not have access to the same markets through our yellow bin system,” stressed Paterson.

Below is a brochure that outlines the printed paper / packaging that will be accepted in the new depot.

RDEK

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