Widespread flooding in the southwest of British Columbia is having far-reaching impacts, including limiting the capacity to transport and process glass and styrofoam recycling.
Many local governments in the Okanagan have warned residents this week that glass and styrofoam recycling won’t be picked up curbside or accepted at many recycling depots starting on Monday, Nov. 22.
“With transportation corridors compromised due to road closures, Recycle BC cannot currently move these materials from receiving facilities to end markets and, its primary glass end market is currently underwater,” the Regional District of Okanagan – Similkameen said in a statement.
“In addition, the flooding has affected the availability of trucks for hauling materials, further compounding these challenges.”
Officials are asking the public to hold on to their glass and styrofoam recyclables until collection can resume.
However, no date for resumption of service has been announced.
“We are hopeful residents appreciate the exceptional circumstances the province is currently experiencing, and we thank you for helping ensure these materials can eventually be managed responsibly,” said Regional District of Central Okanagan manager of engineering Travis Kendel.
“For now, normal curbside recyclable collection continues, but we’d like to remind recyclers that glass and foam packaging should not be added to the carts.”
Highway 3 reopened on Friday to essential traffic only, but before that all the major routes from the Lower Mainland to the Interior had been closed for days.
Details about the specific recycling situation in the Regional District of Central Okanagan, Regional District of North Okanagan, and Regional District of Okanagan – Similkameen are available on their websites.