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Environmental fees part of disposal

Do you ever wonder whose pockets are being lined with money amassed from environmental fees?
45172traildailytimesTrailBottleDepotelectronicsrecycling04-23-13
Leanna McCormick

Do you ever wonder whose pockets are being lined with money amassed from environmental fees?

According to Allan Stanley, RDKB director of environmental services, the fees are part of a comprehensive plan between the government and related industries, to regulate the proper disposal of the product after its “end of life.”

“Most adamantly, those fees you pay at the check out are not a tax. The way it works, is that the provincial government regulates a particular product stream and works with the industry associations to apply a fee to manage these items when they are no longer usable,” he explained.

Stanley said that there are many stewardship programs coming on stream in the province.

He said the latest materials that affect most people is the disposal of old appliances, both large and small.

“Almost anything with a cord or a battery is now subject to a stewardship program.”

Stanley explained that there are collection sites in Trail and most other communities, endorsed by the appliance companies, where residents can recycle these products for free.

More than any place in the province, our area has benefitted from the stewardship programs, he said.

“These programs have made quite a big difference in our Greater Trail area. Because a lot of the materials get processed locally, for example at KC Recycling in Columbia Gardens. And much of the final processing of the recyclable materials happens up at Teck.”

He said that the biggest support the RDKB can offer to the stewardship incentive, is to eventually ban disposal of these products at the landfill.

“Before the regulation came in, there were horror stories and videos showing where our discarded materials, such as electronics, actually ended up,” said Stanley. “Now, with the new regulation, there is a strict protocol and that doesn’t happen anymore.”

For information about free disposal programs and more, visit rcbc.bc.ca.



Sheri Regnier

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