(Photo credit: Recycle BC)

By Pete McIntyre

single-use items

Recycle BC accepts more items in home or depot recycling

Jan 9, 2023 | 10:00 AM

The new year means that B.C. residents can now recycle even more items either in their home recycling, or by returning items to a recycling depot.

As of January 1, Recycle BC has added single-use products and packaging-like products to its residential recycling program.

The change is the result of an amendment to the BC Recycling Regulation. Previously, only plastic, metal and glass packaging, and paper products were included in the Recycle BC program. This change expands the accepted material list to include items that are used as packaging or a single-use but were purchased as a product.

“We are excited to see many new items included in the recycling program,” Central Okanagan Regional Waste Reduction facilitator Cynthia Coates said. “Flexible plastics are now combined at the depot. That means plastic shopping bags can now be mixed with your crinkly wrappers and other soft flexible plastics like squishy foam packaging.”

New items accepted in your curbside cart or depot include:

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• Recyclable with paper:
  • Paper party décor (paper decorations, signs, hats, tablecloths, pinatas)
  • Paper gift bags and boxes
  • Cardboard moving, filing boxes
• Recyclable with containers:
• Plastic plates, bowls and cups
• Paper plates, bowls and cups (with thin plastic lining)
• Plastic food storage containers
• Plastic cutlery and straws
• Plastic hangers (that come with clothing)
• Aluminum foil wrap
• Aluminum foil baking dishes and pie plates
• Metal storage tins (thin gauge)

New Depot ONLY items

• Recyclable with flexible plastics
• Plastic sandwich and freezer bags (often with a zipper lock)
• Plastic shrink wrap
• Flexible plastic drop sheets and covering
• Flexible plastic bubble wrap (no bubble wrap-lined paper)
• Flexible plastic recycling bags (blue, clear bags, or yellow or blue bags used for curbside collection)
• Reusable shopping bags made of plastic
• Squishy cushion packaging (looks like Styrofoam)

This expanded material list will allow more material to be recycled and kept out of landfills and the environment. Residents play a key role in recycling this material by placing acceptable materials in their bins or taking them to a depot.

View the full list of newly accepted materials at RecycleBC.ca/NewItems.

To find out more about what to recycle in your curbside cart or at a depot, visit rdco.com/recycle, download the free Recycle Coach App, or call the Regional Waste Reduction Office at 250-469-6250.