Simplify: Have one large blue bin - the same capacity as the City’s largest Green Bin currently used for single family dwelling yard waste collection. The current residential recycling program is too little and too complex. Most residents do not understand what can go into one of three distinct containers and they don’t understand that they can request additional containers. Miss-mixed containers and stacks of cardboard not broken down to the requisite 12”x12” sheets are routinely left curbside to rot and eventually be discarded in the larger waste containers. The current fact that the blue box is tiny and waste containers massive sends a very clear visual message as to priority and options. Requiring separation of materials at point of drop off merely serves to diminish participation and increase contamination. Most everyone would participate if they could include all recyclable material in one large container, which was then separated at the City’s waste management level. This is the type of system used in Toronto, which has a more successful waste reclamation program than ours.

Synchronize: Use the same Blue Bin and the same collection and separation waste management system for business, residential, recreational, streets, and educational public facilities. It’s irrational that we can collect recycling at the residential level but not use the same equipment and staff to collect at our Parks, Civic Centers, Schools, and on commercial streets. Currently, if schools want to recycle the PAC pays for it!! And the Parks! For goodness sakes, the Provincial Parks have been collecting recyclable materials in separate bins for a decade, how can it be that our Parks board and Metro Vancouver Parks can lag THAT far behind? We require one public-wide system, for every public and residential private facility. Aside from the cost advantage - once fleet of collection vehicles and trained staff - a higher participation and reclamation program means more revenue from the collection and resale of the raw materials. Having one standard container also contributes to the publics acceptance and understanding of the program. With the wide range of container variants in the City, there remains a great deal of confusion among users as to what can go where. It is very common to see recyclable non-reuseable plastic cups, for instance, in the City’s paltry returnable container trays affixed to the litter receptacles. This happenstance points to the fact that people do NOT want to put the recyclables into the litter containers but have limited choice of alternatives.

Through the business licencing and regulation powers, require the mandatory participation of waste producing businesses, such as fast food and drive through, in the program. These businesses - the ones contributing to the waste containers volume in our consumption stream - should have to lease the Blue Bins from the City annually. The lease rates set on a cost recovery basis. They would have to demonstrate a Zero waste system (via a licencing audit) before they could opt out of the Blue Bin program.

Rationalize: In the first year of the program there should be a 1:1 ratio of blue bins to garbage receptacles in parks, schools, civic centers and at Bus Stops. A 2:1 ratio to residents (weekly pick up of the blue bin, bimonthly pick up of the garbage bin). By the third year of the program, the ratio should shift to 2:1 in public facilities, 4:1 in residential facilities(weekly pick up of the blue bin, once a month of the garbage bin - with compost in the yard waste container, there is no reason garbage collection couldn’t be decreased to once monthly given a generous and simplified recycling collection system). The mandatory commercial Blue Bin participants would be permitted to shift their ratio from 1:1 on applying for and passing the requirements of a waste inspection audit. As their ratio shifts (more reclamation, less waste), their annual fee would go down.

One Blue Bin, One System, Universal Participation!