WHEREAS the provincial government has funded province-wide public anti-littering campaigns such as Pitch-In and the adopt-a-road program; AND WHEREAS while a deposit refund system for producers is in place, more could be done to unite and educate the public in BC, particularly children and youth, in efforts to reduce litter in public spaces and all environments: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the provincial government develop and fund an expanded province-wide public anti-littering campaign, in cooperation with industry, non-profit organizations, schools and local governments, that complements other current initiatives designed to reduce waste.
Ministry of Environment While the Ministry of Environment is responsible for environmental protection legislation, including anti-littering provisions, directly funding a widespread anti-littering campaign would not be consistent with provincial policy of industry product stewardship This policy places a life-cycle responsibility on producers and consumers of products as opposed to local governments or the general taxpayer, The Province of British Columbia encourages interested local governments to leverage existing community, industry and non government organization NGO expertise to form anti-littering partnerships that can draw on the strengths of existing resources. Local clean-up campaigns have the advantage of achieving tangible outcomes for citizens, while also encouraging environmentally responsible behaviors. Additional support for local environmental clean-up projects is available in the form of community grants and organized volunteer corps.