A decision to work with Recycle BC to offer curbside recycling has been put off by the Regional District Central Okanagan (RDCO).
After consultation with member municipalities and the public, the Solid Waste Technical Advisory Committee recommended Recycle BC take over the curbside program as of April 30, 2026. It also recommends each local government request the service directly.
A presentation by the RDCO to Kelowna council on May 2 left several councillors feeling there wasn’t enough information about the switch and whether recycling services might be expanded.
“There isn’t a lot there that gives me a lot of faith that the Recycle BC program will actually meet the needs of what our citizens would like, and I’m not convinced it will divert more waste from the landfill,” Councillor Brad Sieben said during the meeting.
The RDCO presentation also indicated that the city and other municipalities could face heavy fines for recyclable contamination in blue bins, although the possibility of penalties is extremely low.
“You must make this convenient for people to do it,” added Sieben. “If it’s too onerous, or too cumbersome they just won’t. If they’re (Recycle BC) just going to say, ‘trust us’, and we have no control, then I have a real problem with that system.”
The RDCO board will receive more information by the end of June in considering any change to the program.
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@GaryBarnes109
gary.barnes@kelownacapnews.com
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