The region's recycling program continues to expand with glass, plastic bag and Styrofoam drop off to be available April 1 at the Do Your Part depot for both those who live in Terrace as well as within Regional District of Kitimat-Stikine.
This will coincide with the end of the city's underused monthly curbside glass pickup service which will have its final day March 30.
Owner of the Do Your Part depot Kasey Lewis says she recently signed a contract with the provincial stewardship agency Multi-Material BC to expand her service beyond the current processing of the city's recycling to include all plastic bags, Styrofoam as well as glass products for the region.
She will now also take drop-offs of blue bags free of charge but encourages residents to continue using the bi-weekly curbside pick-up.
Those dropping off their regular recycling will also have to separate it themselves into different bins located inside the depot. The same applies for drop-offs of glass, plastic bags and Styrofoam.
“People will be here on site to educate, because people will be sorting it themselves,” said Lewis. “There will be bins set up for people to throw their own stuff in. It will be a true kind of depot.”
“There is no limit on how much people can bring, but it will be for residential only,” she continued. “It's now a no pay system for everybody.”
For now the drop off location will remain at 3220 River Dr. in Thornhill, but she hinted that expanded services means she may need more space soon.
“Ideally we would like to find an end market for it here but people have been looking for that for eight years, so who knows,” said Lewis of the energy-intensive long distance trucking of uncrushed glass products to southern BC.
As far as the huge amounts of blue bags she processes every two weeks, she said people are doing pretty well with avoiding contamination.
“It could be better. There is a lot of plastic bags in there. There is still quite a bit of glass.”
There is no plan for a subsidy for commercial recycling through MMBC, she said. Currently companies can hire her to pick up their recycling.