New changes to the Recycle BC Depots throughout the Regional District of East Kootenay will simplify sorting and expand the list of items accepted for recycling.

“Many materials that were unable to be recycled previously can now be accepted and sorting of the items has been simplified.” says RDEK Environmental Services Manager Kevin Paterson.

Starting January 1, 2023, Recycle BC Depots began accepting single-use products and packaging-like products. Some examples of the new items that can be dropped off at a Recycle BC Depot include single-use plastic straws, stir sticks, plastic utensils, plates, bowls and cups; single use paper plates and bowls; squishy foam packaging sheets; and transparent single use recycling bags.

“These changes are the result of an amendment to the Province of BC’s Recycling Regulation and the ability to shift some materials from just being recovered to actually being able to be recycled” adds Paterson.

Some products that will not be accepted include health, hygiene or safety products that could become unsafe or unsanitary to recycle.

The second change starting January 1 is the combination of the Plastic Bags & Overwrap and Flexible Packing categories into one category. This category will be called “Flexible Plastics”. This means items like plastic bags, chips bags, deli meat packaging, net bags, and many more will be collected in one bin. This category will now be accepting squishy foam packaging (squishy foam), which was previously unable to be accepted.

“The signage for this new category will be appearing at the depots later in January and there may be some shuffling of bins to accommodate this change” says Paterson.

Anyone with questions about the changes is encouraged to ask one of the depot staff members or reach out to the RDEK at 1-888-478-7335.

The RDEK’s Recycle BC Depots are located at the Cranbrook, Kimberley, Invermere, Fernie, Sparwood and Elkford transfer stations. For a full list of items that are accepted at Recycle BC Depots, visit: engage.rdek.bc.ca/recycle