Town of Gibsons is considering implementing a curbside recycling program after receiving a presentation from Recycle BC representatives at a June 17 special meeting of council.
Tessa Janzen, manager of recycling collection, and Maja Rusinowska, manager of stakeholder relations, presented the organization's services to council.
Janzen said that for municipalities similar in size to Gibsons, Recycle BC typically collects an average of 220 tons of paper and containers annually, along with 30 tons of glass.
She added that the convenience of curbside collection significantly increases participation rates, with residents recycling five times more paper and containers and 1.5 times more glass compared to depot-only programs.
The program offers several collection options, including single-stream collection using automated carts, multi-stream collection with separate containers for different materials, and newly added flexible plastics collection.
The report noted that glass collection is available as a separate service at $80 per ton collected.
Janzen clarified that Recycle BC covers all post-collection costs. This includes transportation and processing at designated facilities located within 60 kilometres of service areas.
The organization also provides financial support for resident education ($1.25 per household annually) and service administration requirements ($3.75 per household annually).
Gibsons Mayor Silas White raised concerns about the impact on the existing Gibsons recycling depot, which currently serves both the town and the surrounding regional district areas.
White noted the depot maintains high participation rates and offers additional recycling services beyond Recycle BC's scope, including electronics, batteries, and other specialized materials.
Recycle BC confirmed that Gibsons meets the 5,000-resident threshold for curbside programs regardless of participation rates.
A detailed report examining the costs and implications of implementing curbside recycling will be presented to council in the coming months by the director of infrastructure services.
Jordan Copp is Coast Reporter’s civic and Indigenous affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.
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