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Wonder where CRD recycling ends up?

Products collected by the CRD usually stay in B.C.
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A pile of recycled paper. Courtesy photo

The soup can you recycled years ago might help you find your way home.

The CRD released an information bulletin informing residents where their recycling goes, and it turns out metal cans get turned into road signs.

READ MORE: Oak Bay residents recycle soft-plastics for free

They say the materials collected on your curb is typically sold and processed in the following ways:

  • Plastic containers collected in the CRD remain in B.C., taken to Metro Vancouver where the materials are processed into new packaging and other products like fleece clothing, rope, brush bristles, car bumpers and household furnishings.
  • Glass is shipped to Abbotsford and processed into new bottles, or to Quesnel to be made into sandblast materials.
  • Metal containers are sold to end-markets in B.C., Ontario and the United States and are typically recycled into new packaging, road signs and window frames.
  • Most of the mixed paper collected in the capital region remains in BC for processing into new egg cartons, though it can also be processed into new boxes, paper towels, tissues and other paper products.

The bulletin goes on to mention those residents living in apartments or condos that use private collectors are welcome to drop recyclables off themselves at CRD depots, if they have concerns about where their waste ends up.



jesse.laufer@oakbaynews.com

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