The B.C. government has amended the province's recycling regulation to exempt small businesses from onerous reporting requirements and fees associated with a new recycling system.
The new system, which began May 19, is run by an industry-led non-profit agency called Multi Material BC (MMBC). It is meant to shift cost and responsibility for recycling to the businesses that produce packaging.
Small businesses were confused and concerned when they learned they would have to count up every piece of packaging they put into consumers’ hands, as well as sign on to a new recycling system with unknown fees and vague timelines.
In February 2014, the provincial government announced most small businesses in the province would be exempted from reporting their packaging or paying recycling costs.
Franchise parent companies, and not individual franchise owners, are responsible for reporting and paying the recycling fee.
Small to medium-sized business also have the option of paying an annual flat fee if the business does not produce a high volume of packaging.
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