British Columbia recycling starts smoothly

British Columbia recycling starts smoothly

By Editorial Staff, Resource Recycling

In British Columbia, small electrical appliances, including toasters, hair dryers, vacuums, fans, irons, clocks and other household items, will cost a bit more as part of a government-approved program to keep them out of landfills.

"Unplugged [1]," which went into effect this week, is funded by recycling fees applied to 120 household appliances by B.C. manufacturers and retailers. The fees are meant to cover program costs, including collection, transportation and recycling. The money generated from the fees also covers 100 drop-off locations in the Canadian province.

"This is a welcome addition to B.C.'s industry-managed and funded recycling programs," said Brock Macdonald, executive director of Recycling Council of British Columbia. "By diverting small appliances from municipal waste streams, Unplugged will recover valuable resources, promote conservation and reduce waste management costs for local governments throughout the province."

Following the earlier controversy over "eco-fees" in Ontario, program managers have taken extra measures to make sure residents know the fees associated with the program are not a tax, since they are not collected, tracked or managed by the government. Unplugged is a non-profit, industry-managed organization set up to administer the program.

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