Cape Breton Post

Plastic times, drastic measures

CBRM looking for new markets after China bans film plastics

- BY NIKKI SULLIVAN

China is no longer accepting certain types of plastics for recycling, but it shouldn’t cause concern for residents in the Cape Breton Regional Municipali­ty.

“The big message we want to get out is we are still recycling the material even though we haven’t shipped any out in a few months. We intend to continue recycling the material and we will find new markets for the material,” said CBRM solid waste manager Francis Campbell.

“We want the residents to continue to do the great job they are doing now with the recycling program.”

As of Jan. 1, film plastics — things like grocery bags, plastic wrap and sandwich bags — are no longer being allowed in China due to health concerns. Currently there are no facilities in North America that can recycle film plastic and some municipali­ties are scrambling to find a new solution about what to do with them.

According to Campbell, this isn’t the case in the CBRM.

“Right now we still have the ability to store it inside. So, it’s

not as urgent at this point in time,” he told the Cape Breton Post during a phone interview.

“I don’t foresee it becoming a problem until the summer if we don’t move any of the material.”

Rigid plastics like margarine containers, milk jugs and detergent bottles are easily melted down and reused. There are plants in North America that can recycle these and according to Campbell these make up

most of the recycled plastic in the CBRM.

“Film plastic only makes up about five per cent of what we get in the blue bags,” said Campbell.

“We may take 6,000 tonnes of material a year but out of that 6,000 tonnes it’s probably only about 50 tonnes of it that is film plastic. So, it’s only one part of the equation.”

China was paying for the film plastics they were taking from municipali­ties, but Campbell said the loss of money made from these purchases won’t affect the CBRM much because it was very small.

He thinks the municipali­ty may have to start paying to have the film plastic taken away.

On Thursday, representa­tives from the Nova Scotia solid waste resource management committee met in Halifax with Environmen­t Minister Iain Rankin, to discuss the issue. CBRM Dist. 8 Coun. Amanda McDougall is the local representa­tive who attended the meeting.

Campbell said one of the ideas she and others on the committee will be presenting is “extended producer responsibi­lity.”

“What happens there is ultimately the companies who produce the material have to pay to manage the material. So, if you are a producer of cardboard, a few cents off of every dollar worth of cardboard that you sell would be put aside and collected by the government,” he said.

“It’s no different than if you buy electronic­s, there are fees associated with that —environmen­tal fees,” he said.

The program is already in place in Ontario and British Columbia.

“In cases like this where it’s going to cost more to dispose of or recycle this material, the municipali­ties won’t pay for it — the producers will. Why should we have to pay for it? They produce the material,” Campbell said.

 ?? NIKKI SULLIVAN/CAPE BRETON POST ?? Francis Campbell is manager of CBRM solid waste department. He said China’s decision to stop taking film plastics, like shopping bags and plastic wrap, will affect the CBRM but there is no need to panic because the municipali­ty has room to store these...
NIKKI SULLIVAN/CAPE BRETON POST Francis Campbell is manager of CBRM solid waste department. He said China’s decision to stop taking film plastics, like shopping bags and plastic wrap, will affect the CBRM but there is no need to panic because the municipali­ty has room to store these...
 ?? NIKKI SULLIVAN/CAPE BRETON POST ?? CBRM solid waste officials want people to know they should still recycle all their plastics and not put them in the garbage.
NIKKI SULLIVAN/CAPE BRETON POST CBRM solid waste officials want people to know they should still recycle all their plastics and not put them in the garbage.

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