Fundy region recycling fares well despite China's ban on plastics, paper

China's New Year ban on some recyclable plastic and paper imports has many municipalities across Canada struggling to find markets for their materials, but the Fundy Regional Service Commission hasn't been heavily affected, according to a spokeswoman.

The ban has, however, re-emphasized the importance of proper sorting of items by citizens, said Brenda MacCallum, who is in charge of public relations and project development.

"We are dealing with the changes, but … contamination certainly is a problem," she said.

"Contamination in the recycling is a cost to us and it can impact the markets where we are selling."

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The Chinese government announced to the World Trade Organization in July that it would stop accepting shipments of certain plastic and paper products by the end of 2017.

"It's much more of a ban on 'unclean' recycling," said MacCallum, referring not to greasy pizza boxes, but rather the wrong types of materials.

"So we actually still have some material that is going to China," while other items, such as grocery bags, will be stockpiled as a broker explores new markets in Canada and overseas, she said.

"So [the ban] has had an impact and it certainly is a concern across the complete recycling world, but as I said, as long as your material is fairly clean, then there's not too much of an issue."

The Fundy Regional Service Commission does see its share of contamination though, said MacCallaum, including rubber hoses, toys, and glass.

"People kind of do what we call 'wishful recycling' that really in the end is a contamination," she said.

That means added costs for sorting and the risk of the wrong items slipping through.

"So … absolutely we need everybody doing their part to make sure we still have these end markets."

Continuing to make some money from recycling is essential, said MacCallum.

The program is already subsidized through tipping fees at the Crane Mountain Landfill — $108 per tonne of garbage, $28 per tonne for compost and $0 for recycling.

Recycling extends the life of the landfill, she added.