Recycling Pop-Up Event Collected Five Solid Waste Carts of Flexible Plastics

On Saturday, November 2, the City’s Solid Waste Collection Services team hosted its first-ever Flexible Plastics Recycling Pop-Up Event.


Two City staff members were on hand at a McArthur Island parking lot to accept plastic bags, overwrap, crinkly plastic, stand-up zipper lock pouches, Halloween candy wrappers and more.


“We collected about one cubic metre of flexible plastics (which is the equivalent of five of the largest garbage carts) from the 36 people that stopped by. We met a few people who were recycling their flexible plastics for the first time too, which is great,” said Marcia Dick, the City’s Solid Waste Reduction Coordinator.


Flexible plastics are not accepted in the City’s curbside recycling program; they are only accepted at designated Recycle BC depots.


“Currently, there are no Recycle BC depots on the North Shore, so this pop-up format is meant to help fill a service gap for that area,” said Megan Graham, the City’s Solid Waste Services Analyst.
“We hope to host more recycling pop-up events like this in the future,” added Graham.


In the meantime, flexible plastics can be dropped off anytime at the following Recycle BC depots:
 

  • Columbia Bottle Depot - (formerly General Grant's Sahali, 963 Camosun Crescent)
  • Lorne Street Bottle Depot (270 Halston Avenue)
  • London Drugs (450 Lansdowne Street)

Flexible plastics, as well as the majority of plastic packaging collected in BC, are recycled at Merlin Plastics in the Metro Vancouver area, where they are recycled into new products and packaging.


To find out what can be recycled and whether it is accepted in curbside recycling or at a designated recycling depot, use the Waste Wizard in the free Waste Wise Kamloops app.