"As consumers, we need to take greater responsibility in identifying what is truly recyclable, and educate ourselves on what can and cannot go in the bin." Processors of recyclable materials will need to find better ways to sort products to ensure contaminant levels are within China's new standards. "We need to work harder at reducing contamination in the blue bin and reducing our consumption of materials," a spokesperson for the industry-funded group said in a statement. MMSM says Manitobans will now need to put a greater focus on making sure non-recyclable goods don't end up in their blue bins. Plastic bales that are mixed with non-recyclable goods or hazardous wastes are being rejected. In other cities, CBC News has reported, the ban has been driving down the revenues from recyclables because of the sudden influx in supply.Ĭhina used to be the main recipient of the world's recyclable plastics and paper, but has now stopped accepting almost all foreign materials because it tightened its standards for acceptable levels of contaminants. The City of Calgary has stockpiled five million kilograms of recycled waste since October, and Halifax sought approval to divert 300,000 kilograms of film plastics to the landfill after storing it for months, but ended up burning it instead.ĭuration 1:34 An import ban in China on most foreign recyclable materials has caused paper and plastic products to build up in depots across Canada and the U.S., but City of Winnipeg officials would not say whether this will affect our city.Īccording to a MMSM report, the province recycled 85.8 million kilograms in 2016, with 59.6 million kilograms coming from Winnipeg and the surrounding area. Halifax sending 300 tonnes of recyclable plastics to out-of-province dump.Recycling crisis hits Quebec as China rejects waste imports.Backlog means recyclable material could end up in a Calgary dump.31 but China has been refusing shipments for months, causing a backlog of materials to build up in cities that rely on exporting the material there. "It isn't that they've banned all imports, but they've certainly made it much more stringent - the quality requirements to ship it over there," he said. Brian Mayes who heads up city council's water, waste and environment committee. "We're not hitting the panic button, but we're not immune, we're like other cities in North America," said Coun.
An import ban in China on most foreign recyclable materials has caused paper and plastic products to build up in depots across Canada and the U.S., but City of Winnipeg officials would not say whether this will affect our city