The Thompson Nicola Regional District (TNRD) has introduced a bylaw that reduces the amount of cardboard dumped in landfills. The implementation of this bylaw will help lower the overall amount of waste going into landfills across the region.
One of the TNRD’s objective is waste reduction. According to a recent press release, the disposal rate currently is 620 kilograms per capita, and the provincial average is 500 kg/ capita.
“We are guided by our solid waste management plan which lays out what we do over a 10-year period,” Manager of Solid Waste & Recycling, Adriana Mailloux explained.
“Our goal is reducing the per capita amount of garbage that goes into landfills every year. Disposal bans are one tool we use in reducing the amount of waste going into landfill but the problem is businesses and commercial haulers, right now, can throw away cardboard, put it in a landfill even though we offer a recycling program for it.”
Currently in its second phase, the Mandatory Recyclable Material Bylaw No. 2743 was introduced in 2021. Integration of the bylaw at all solid waste disposal facilities, in the TNRD and the City of Kamloops will be done for the rest of 2022. The bylaw also applies to the Lower Nicola Eco Depot which is the nearest landfill in Merritt.
Mailloux says that TNRD had worked closely with stakeholders in developing this bylaw which focuses on industrial, commercial and institutional sectors.
“If you’re a business and you have a dumpster, you can’t fill your dumpster with cardboard and then throw it into the landfill anymore,” Mailloux explained.
“What you would need to do is separate your cardboard and haul it via waste collection company or you haul it in yourself and recycle it, which is the option we recommend.”
The launch of this bylaw is occurring in three phases:
• April – May 2022: TNRD staff have been reaching out to stakeholders and have been visiting solid waste facilities, to educate customers about the bylaw and the importance of recycling cardboard.?
• June – August 2022: TNRD staff will introduce mock ticketing for loads of refuse containing more cardboard than the maximum allowable threshold, of 10% by volume. The intended goal of mock ticketing is to change how area residents and businesses dispose of cardboard.?
• September 2022 – Ongoing: Fines may be issues for loads containing more than the 10% allowable threshold of recycling cardboard.
Enforcement will focus on large commercial and municipal loads, and fines will only be issued by TNRD staff and bylaw officers. Disposal facility staff, such as scale attendants, will not have the authority to issue fines.
Education of the new bylaw will be ongoing for all of 2022.
For more information on Bylaw No. 2743 and recycling opportunities within the TNRD, please visit tnrd.ca/mandatory-recycling, or call the TNRD at 1-877-377-8673.
