Recycle BC recently took the exceptional step of releasing a precast statement of accomplishment in its 2024 annual report. They achieved a fantastic recovery rate of 83.3 percent on packaging and paper products! This is a significant jump from the 79.6 percent reclamation rate noted in 2023. Tuesday’s report is a testament to Recycle BC’s ongoing commitment to provide high-quality recycling services across British Columbia.
Recycle BC did a phenomenal job in 2024, collecting 208,484 tonnes of packaging and paper. That’s a huge jump from the 201,033 tonnes we collected for recycling in 2023. This upward trend just goes to show how successful the province’s recycling programs are becoming and how much more willingly residents are throwing recyclables into the blue bins.
Also notable in the report is that paper recovery rates have dramatically increased. They’ve increased from 88 percent in 2023 to 92 percent in 2024. In much the same way, plastic recovery rates went up by just 2 percentage points from 43 percent to 45 percent over this same time period. These developments are a result of Recycle BC’s commitment to continuously evolve and extract more of the best materials from the recycling stream.
Of particular interest is the fact that 98 percent of the plastic packaging collected through Recycle BC was actually recycled. With an impressive 2024 collection, this non-profit organization diverted an estimated 31,362 tonnes of blue bag plastic packaging away from landfills and oceans—helping The Province of B.C.
Recycle BC shared an even more encouraging stat. And even more astounding, 80 percent of its recycled content was purchased and reused right here within North America! This is up from 73 percent in 2023 and is a sign that local markets for recycled materials are on the rise.
In his remarks, Sam Baker, executive director of Recycle BC, stressed the need for collaboration and strategic investment in improving the quality of recycling.
“Ongoing investments and collaboration with our recycling network partners ensure high-quality material is sorted to industry-set specifications and marketed domestically as much as possible.” – Sam Baker, executive director of Recycle BC
Recycle BC, a not-for-profit organization, manages residential printed packaging and paper recycling provincewide on behalf of the businesses that supply them. Now, the organization is zeroing in on those products that British Columbia residents bought in 2022. This is a testament to its strong commitment to improving environmental sustainability in the community.
Recycle BC is on the cutting edge of improving their recovery rates and expanding their reach. This should serve as a good example to other nonprofits or organizations funded by recycling initiatives. Restoring the progress made in 2024 is just the beginning on the long road to reclaiming British Columbia’s global leadership position on waste management and recycling.
