The Auditor General reports BC’s recycling system is performing well in “some areas” and has decided against auditing the Ministry of Environment.
Auditor General Carol Bellringer’s latest report, Product Stewardship: An overview of recycling in B.C., identified positives outcomes and improvements areas.
The ministry recorded high recovery rates of recyclables. In 2015, stewardship agency Multi-Materials BC (MMBC) recovered 1,255,000 households in 151 communities through curbside collection, including a 77% printed paper and packaging recovery rate (186,509 tonnes collected tonnes of reported 243,191 tonnes produced). The ministry also has a performance management plan which lists goals, measurable targets, monitoring, and enforcement.
Taken from Product Stewardship: An overview of recycling in B.C. report
There are areas to improve: Bellringer reports there could be better reporting on outcomes, oversight to producers, access to services in rural areas, and accountability through transparent financial reporting. The ministry is aware of these and working towards fixing them.
Taking all this into account, Bellringer believes “an audit wouldn’t add value at this time.”
She adds the office will give the government time to implement improvements and will monitor progress to determine whether more work needs to be done in the future.
Bellringer didn’t have specific recovery numbers for individual communities but believes Prince George’s recovery percentage and the provincial average are the same.
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