Coinciding with the new recycling program, which began in most B.C. communities this week, B.C. has updated the Province’s recycling regulation to ensure small producers of packaging and printed paper are exempt.

This means the vast majority of businesses and organizations that put packaging and printed paper into the residential waste stream are exempt from any reporting or recycling costs associated with the program.

An exemption is granted if any one of the following four criteria is met:

• Under one million dollars in annual revenues.
• Under one tonne of packaging and printed paper supplied to B.C. residents.
• Operate as a single point of retail sale and are not supplied by or operated as part of franchise, a chain or under a banner.
• Is a registered charity.

As well, where a typical franchise has locations in B.C., the reporting and financial responsibilities for recycling paper and packaging, which end up in residential blue boxes, lie with the parent corporation, not with the individual franchise owners.

Less than 3,000 businesses in B.C. are affected by this program. This is less than 1% of the total number of business in the province.

The Province also has successfully urged Multi-Material British Columbia (MMBC), the industry-led stewardship organization responsible for the new recycling program, to give small- to medium-sized businesses the option of an annual flat fee if the business is a low-volume producer of packaging and printed paper. Businesses producing between one and five tonnes can pay a pre-determined recycling fee, saving the administrative burden of detailed reporting.

These initiatives respond to requests from B.C.’s businesses for creative solutions to meet the intent of the regulation, while avoiding inadvertent costs or administration.

For more information visit B.C.’s product stewardship site for packaging and printed paper: http://ow.ly/x9ufs

Media Contacts:

Media Relations
Ministry of Environment
250 953-3834