As of July 1, corrugated cardboard from all community members is banned from Vanderhoof’s landfill.
In the Vanderhoof Transfer Station, five new bins — with five more to come — are now in place to house residential cardboard recycling. Laminated or waxed cardboard, such as cereal boxes, can continue to be recycled at the mixed paper collection bin on site.
For businesses, industries, and institutions in Vanderhoof that may not have sufficient volume or space to arrange cardboard recycling with regional companies, the Nechako Valley Community Services Society’s Mobile Work Crew now offers regular commercial cardboard pickup.
Charged by pick-up and dependent on the volume, the service can take place weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, according to the business’ needs. Collected cardboard is then stored at the Nechako Lakes school district’s maintenance yard to await pickup from regional waste management service providers.
The mobile work crew services 23 local businesses so far, and their first pickup took place on July 8.
The cardboard ban came from the Ministry of Environment’s changing rules on B.C.’s landfills to lower costs and pollution, according to Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako.
An audit performed in 2008 on the regional district’s waste showed that corrugated cardboard makes up 10 per cent of the region’s landfills. In Burns Lake, 70 to 80 per cent of contributed cardboard came from institutions, businesses, and industries.
Businesses looking for more information on local cardboard recycling can contact Tara Beal at 250-567-9205 or tbeal@nvcss.ca.