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LETTER: Nelson area recycling system is ungainly

From reader Heather Myers...
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Re: “Recycling rules confuse Nelson residents” (March 15)

I’ve always wondered whether our municipal, regional and provincial governments deliberately made recycling regimes so inconsistent and ungainly in order to eventually put us all off. That some programs take some things, and others take a different array of wastes is nonsensical and certainly undermines the credibility of recycling programs.

In Yellowknife, 25 years ago, a non-profit group was able to develop and run a recycling program, taking glass, tin, aluminum and paper south to where it originated and where recycling could be undertaken. The value of the aluminum underwrote the cost of transporting paper and glass, but it all paid for itself, even with those long distances and high costs.

Why can our governments not get it right? And why is MMBC (Multi-Materials BC) allowed to talk down to RDCK for being “inconsistent” with how MMBC does recycling? It is the people of BC, and our governments, who are the ones calling for recycling. And it is MMBC and its member companies creators of the packaging and waste that is causing our problems who are supposed to be taking back their waste and recycling it. I find it really offensive that the MMBC spokesman implied that they would only take some waste, and that RDCK, for taking more (like plastic, which is a real curse) was “inconsistent.” It is MMBC that is inconsistent inconsistent with obligations to clean up after themselves. MMBC’s members make it, they should take it ALL back.

Heather Myers

Nelson