Recycling Service Provider To No Longer Accept Plastic Bags for Recycling

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The City of North Battleford has asked its residents not to put plastic bags in their recycling containers. According to City officials, the announcement comes in the wake of its recycling provider stopping to accept plastic bags. Loraas Environmental Services- the company that handles City recycling services indicated lack of market for plastic bags, following Chinese restrictions on imported scrap into that country.

Earlier in February this year, Loraas Environmental Services had informed the city about the difficulties in continuing to accept plastic shopping bags and other stretchable plastics as part of the recycling program. Following rejection of these materials by Chinese Customs, the company has been stockpiling the material, hoping to find an alternative market. However, the company is now forced to send these materials to landfills, following lack of another market.

According to Tammy MacCormack, City Environmental Manager, it plans to launch a public education process to create awareness among residents. There will be no rejection of recycling bins on account of presence of plastic bags in them, during the public education period. He urged residents to reduce the amount of plastic being put into recycling bins and encouraged them to bring their own reusable bags for shopping.

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There are concerns as to how the change will impact the landfills, as the residents will be forced to throw their plastic bags in the grey bins along with other garbage. However, the City noted that the awareness campaign will inform residents of what all materials will be accepted recycling. The updates to the recycling program will be notified in its website. The City will develop a new recycling plan in consultation with other communities.

The press release issued by Loraas states that plastic film (plastic shopping bags, plastic wrap etc.) will be removed as an acceptable material in all residential recycling programs starting April 1, 2018.