Delta is opting to take a wait-and-see approach before participating in a controversial new provincial recycling program.
Mayor Lois Jackson announced Monday the municipality won't join the Multi-Material B.C. residential stewardship plan for packaging and printed paper until the true costs are known and service levels to residents can be assured.
There is no anticipated financial gain for Delta in the first year of the program, said Jackson, who noted more time is being taken to analyze the risks and benefits.
"We have one of the best and longest running curbside recycling collection programs in the region," said Jackson. "We need to take the time to fully understand and analyze the ramifications of joining Multi-Material B.C.'s program before we decide to make a change that could impact our residents and jeopardize the recycling progress we have made so far."
The mayor said one of Delta's main concerns about joining is the elimination of glass, plastic bags and Styrofoam food containers from the blue box program. Glass currently accounts for 30 per cent of all material collected, so to maintain the current level of service, Delta residents would have to sort these materials into a separate box to be independently collected by Delta. Jackson said Delta is also concerned about entering into a services agreement that is heavily weighted in Multi-Material B.C.'s favour, which includes a number of risks to Delta that could result in additional costs to taxpayers. Two years ago, the province announced it would make industry responsible for recycling of packaging and paper, with a goal of raising the recycling rate from 50 per cent up to 75 per cent.
Multi-Material B.C. was established to develop a stewardship plan to collect, process and resell the recycled material in the industry-paid program. It's to begin next spring.
Cities had until Nov. 30 to decide if they would join and accept payments from Multi-Material B.C. to act as recycling contractors. Cities would also be responsible for delivering the materials.
Remple, which is Delta's current curbside collection contractor, has a contract in place until 2018.
Delta's decision not join means it won't have another opportunity to do so until 2015.
