Ben Geselbracht, chair of the RDN's solid waste select committee, returns a mix of household glass, Styrofoam and soft plastics free of charge at a private depot in south Nanaimo. No such service has existed in the Parksville-Qualicum region for more than a year. (Ian Holmes/NanaimoNewsNOW)

By Ian Holmes

still no solution

Frustration grows over reduced recycling options in Parksville-Qualicum region

Mar 4, 2021 | 5:34 AM

PARKVILLE — There’s no end in sight to what was only expected to be a brief service disruption for recycling certain household items in the Oceanside region.

Contracts involving Recycle BC expired at the Parksville and Qualicum Beach bottle depots at the end of February, 2020, which were the only way to properly dispose of glass, soft plastics and Styrofoam.

Nothing has changed more than one year later on the status of the items not included in the curbside collection program.

Larry Gardner, solid waste manager with the Regional District of Nanaimo, said consumers in the region, many who are mobility challenged seniors, deserve better.

“It’s not a reasonable thing for people to expect to travel to another community to take their end of life recyclables,” Gardner told NanaimoNewsNOW.

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Recycle BC, responsible for ensuring free and adequate access to recycling facilities, is not breaking provincial guidelines since depots are located less than a 45 minute drive away from surrounding communities such as Nanaimo with better recycling infrastructure.

“I know they are trying and I do appreciate that but I think the level of effort is tempered because it’s not a requirement,” Gardner said. “It would be a nice thing for them to do and I’m hoping this isn’t a long-term outcome.”

While Gardner said it’s unclear what impact the absence of an Oceanside facility accepting the three core post-use products has had, some of those products undoubtedly end up in the landfill.

“Numerous studies show proper waste diversion is directly tied to convenience,” Gardner said.

He noted restructured service at the Parksville and Qualicum Beach bottle depots also means no Oceanside area depot currently exists to accept common items like cardboard, paper products and containers which fall under the curbside recycling program.

Recycle BC, an independent organization working on behalf of waste producers, said in a statement to NanaimoNewsNOW it’s still trying to find a depot in the Oceanside region to accept glass, soft plastics and Styrofoam.

“We appreciate that this represents an inconvenience to the residents of Parksville and Qualicum. We are continuing to explore solutions and working to find an additional location for this service.”

Recycle BC recommended consumers set aside their recyclables until they make a trip to the neighbouring communities of Nanaimo, Port Alberni or the Comox Valley.

Ben Geselbracht, chair of the RDN’s solid waste select committee, said he and others on the committee often hear complaints about the reduction in recycling services in Parksville and Qualicum Beach.

“We’re not seeing anything change, the community will only put up with so much,” an impassioned Geselbracht said. “Everyone feels in their hearts of heart every time something goes into the garbage if it’s not right it doesn’t feel right.”

Geselbracht said the RDN wants to see the private sector handle the service, but said subsidizing a depot is another potential solution.

“The less of a market there is for Styrofoam and glass then the less money you can get for those materials. In less dense population areas it costs more to collect to run a business,” Geselbracht said.

The ministry of environment and climate change strategy expected Recycle BC to have plans formalized last Spring to restore Oceanside’s recycling shortfall.

A year later, the ministry issued a similar statement of optimism service in the Oceanside area would be restored.

“The Province wants collection services to be restored as quickly as possible and continues to convey to Recycle BC that this is a priority.”

The ministry didn’t respond to whether it is committed to enhancing requirements of Recycle BC to better serve the Oceanside area.

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ian@nanaimonewsnow.com

On Twitter: @reporterholmes