GRIPS in Pender Harbour officially came on board with the Multi-Material BC (MMBC) residential recycling program on Sept. 2, joining depots in Sechelt and Gibsons.
The depot, located at 13136 Sunshine Coast Highway in Madeira Park, had been trying out the MMBC system since the beginning of June and signed a contract with the Sunshine Coast Regional District (SCRD) on Aug. 13 for $102,000, GRIPS director Joe Harrison said Wednesday.
The depot’s previous contract with the SCRD had been worth $80,400, Harrison said.
“Essentially it’s an attempt by the regional district to make up our loss on the operation,” he said. “GRIPS is a charity and we have the bottle depot which earns money. For the past few years we’ve been subsidizing the recycling part to the tune of $25,000.”
With MMBC contributing to the program, the SCRD will recoup at least $30,000 a year under the new contract, he added.
“Their goal was to reduce the cost of recycling and they will achieve that goal, I would say.”
The new arrangement will allow GRIPS to break even and disburse more than $21,000 to the community for initiatives such as environmental education in the schools.
Harrison said there was still some public concern about materials such as books and plastic film that are not accepted under MMBC.
“That concerns us. It’s a bit of a hassle … but I think what’s come out is positive. We’ve been able to come up with a formula that was better for us.”
The contract can be reopened if GRIPS is losing money from the recycling operation, and there are no plans to lay off any of the five part-time staff, Harrison said.
“If we run at a loss we’ll reopen the contract. We’re not going to let anybody go.”
Details about the MMBC residential packaging and printed-paper program, including the list if accepted materials, are available at www.RecyclinginBC.ca.
