Parksville-Qualicum Beach residents no longer have a local option to properly get rid of glass, soft plastics and Styrofoam. Recycle BC said it is working to find a private operator in the Oceanside region to take the service over. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

recycling headache

Officials searching for new glass, soft plastics recycling depot in Parksville after contract expires

Mar 1, 2020 | 6:49 AM

PARKSVILLE — Unwanted glass, soft plastics and Styrofoam piling up around Oceanside homes could be a way of life unless a local solution is brokered to properly dispose of those items.

The contract between Recycle BC and the bottle depots in Parksville and Qualicum Beach expired Saturday, Feb. 29, making recycling more difficult in a region home to 45,000 people.

The privately owned Parksville Bottle Depot issued a news release several weeks ago explaining their rationale to discontinue taking certain recyclables, which included high labour costs.

Nanaimo and Courtenay are now the nearest options for Oceanside residents to recycle glass, flexible plastics and Styrofoam.

A statement from Recycle BC said it is “actively looking for a new location” following the decision by local bottle depots.

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“We recognize that this represents an inconvenience to the residents of Parksville and Qualicum and we are working hard to address it…We apologize for what we hope will be a temporary inconvenience.”

Recycle BC suggested impacted people in Oceanside either combine recycling with a road trip they already had planned to Nanaimo or Courtenay, or hold onto the materials until a solution is reached.

The Regional District of Nanaimo’s solid waste manager Larry Gardner said the uncertainty around recycling glass, flexible plastics and Styrofoam has many Oceanside residents concerned.

“We are getting a number of inquires from people in our community and that’s because our community cares about this kind of stuff and it’s very important to them,” Gardner said.

He said their Church Rd. Transfer Station was explored as a possible short-term collection solution, but said it didn’t make sense.

“It’s really impractical for us to set up a free drop-off, the logistics of that are very problematic,” Gardner said. “ Part of Recycle BC standards is they require free drop-off for those recyclable materials.”

The Ministry of Environment and Climate Strategy said while it recognizes the inconvenience, their recycling standards are being met in Oceanside. The Ministry expected Recycle BC will have a new plan in place this spring in Oceanside for the post-use products.

“With more than 200 depots province-wide and only a handful of depots exiting the program since 2014, this situation is an exception,” the ministry statement said.

Recycle BC is an independent, non-profit organization operating on behalf of producers to work with local depots to ensure adequate access to recycling collection.

ian@nanaimonewsnow.com
On Twitter: @reporterholmes