Kamloops, BC – May 18, 2022 – The Thompson-Nicola Regional District (TNRD) has implemented a bylaw that will reduce the amount of recyclable cardboard currently being landfilled.
Mandatory Recyclable Material Bylaw No. 2743 was introduced in 2021, and it is now being phased in for the remainder of 2022 at all solid waste disposal facilities, in the TNRD and the City of Kamloops.
This bylaw will serve as a waste reduction strategy that will support the TNRD in reducing its per capita disposal rate. Currently, the disposal rate is 620 kilograms per capita, and the provincial average is 500 kg/ capita.
“We have worked directly with stakeholders in developing this bylaw, which will help reduce the amount of materials going into landfills that can easily be recycled,” said Adriana Mailloux, Manager of Solid Waste & Recycling. “Cardboard is the only recyclable material that is currently included, as we continue to educate customers in the industrial, commercial and institutional sectors, which are the focus of this bylaw.”
The launch of this bylaw is occurring in three phases:
- April – May 2022: TNRD staff have been reaching out to stakeholders and have been visiting solid waste facilities, to educate customers about the bylaw and the importance of recycling cardboard.
- June – August 2022: TNRD staff will introduce mock ticketing for loads of refuse containing more cardboard than the maximum allowable threshold, of 10% by volume. The intended goal of mock ticketing is to change how area residents and businesses dispose of cardboard.
- September 2022 – Ongoing: Fines may be issued for loads containing more than the 10% allowable threshold of recycling cardboard. Enforcement will focus on large commercial and municipal loads, and fines will only be issued by TNRD staff and bylaw officers. Disposal facility staff, such as scale attendants, will not have the authority to issue fines.
Education of the new bylaw will be ongoing for all of 2022.
For more information on Bylaw No. 2743 and recycling opportunities within the TNRD, please visit tnrd.ca/mandatory-recycling, or call the TNRD at 1-877-377-8673.
Media contact:
Adriana Mailloux, Manager of Solid Waste & Recycling
Thompson-Nicola Regional District
Tel.: 250 377-6294
Email: amailloux@tnrd.ca