Whereas local governments in British Columbia are striving to meet the provinces waste diversion targets and comply with restrictions on recyclable materials entering landfills; And whereas the current Recycling Regulation under the Environmental Management Act does not explicitly require producers to design packaging to reduce waste volume or complexity, limiting Recycle BCs ability to enforce improvements in packaging design: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Ministry of Environment and Parks to amend the Recycling Regulation to explicitly require producers of packaging to design products that minimize waste at end of life, including material reduction, increased recyclability, and support for circular economy goals.
Ministry of Environment and Parks Recycling programs in BC are operated by Extended Producer Responsibility EPR agencies on behalf of their member businesses producers and are required to operate in accordance with the recycling regulation the Regulation. The Regulation sets out the requirements for EPR in BC, giving producers the flexibility to find efficient and innovative ways to meet regulated outcomes that prevent waste disposal, improve recycling, and support reuse and resource recovery. As indicated in the Regulation, before an agencys EPR plan can be approved, the ministry reviews the plan to ensure it adequately provides for management of the product in adherence to the highest level of performance under the pollution prevention hierarchy PPH, which, in order of preference, includes reduce, reuse, recycle, recovery, and residual management, and addresses areas for improvement to minimize waste at end of life. The PPH supports a circular economy approach, which can create jobs, promote innovation that provides a competitive advantage, and help to protect people and the environment.