Businesses that generate cardboard waste are being urged to use one of several recycling facilities in the city rather than the landfill.
Cardboard is one of the most easily recyclable materials and beginning July 1 the Regional District of Fraser-Fort George will implement a surcharge for businesses discarding cardboard at the Foothills Boulevard Regional Landfill.
“When it comes to getting rid of cardboard, we want to encourage the business community to look at other options for disposal,” said Laura Zapotichny, Waste Diversion Program Leader with the regional district. “Businesses can arrange to rent cardboard bins and have their cardboard taken to a recycler. Smaller businesses who may not be able to afford that can take small loads of cardboard to a number of collection points in Prince George.”
The move is part of the Waste Diversion Strategy approved by the Regional District in 2016 to minimize the amount of recyclable materials discarded at the landfill as way to extend the life of that facility.
There’s a significant amount of cardboard coming into the landfill every day that could easily go elsewhere, and with approximately 60 per cent of the waste coming from the commercial sector, the regional district is implementing the cardboard diversion program aimed at the commercial sector. It does not apply to residential customers.
The surcharge will be phased in and will be based on the weight and make-up of the load.
The regional district is contacting commercial users of the Foothills Landfill to educate them about options for cardboard disposal and how the diversion program will work.
“We are phasing in the program over the next several months so now until July our focus is educating the commercial sector about the changes so they have time to pursue what options may suit them best,” said Zapotichny.
For more details about the commercial cardboard diversion program, visit www.sortsmart.ca
