Recycle BC, 221 West Esplanade, North Vancouver, BC (2026)

05/29/2026

❓ What are clamshell containers❓

Clamshell containers are a type of rigid plastic container often used to protect and package softer more fragile food items such as:

✔️ Berries & fruits (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, grapes)
✔️ Pastries, danishes, croissants, cookies, pies, cupcakes & muffins
✔️ Ready-to-eat salads & fresh cut fruits

✅ YES ✅ residents can recycle these in BC

✔️ These are accepted in our program as: CONTAINERS

♻️ How to recycle them properly:

✔️ Empty any leftover food or crumbs
✔️ Give them a quick rinse if needed
✔️ Let them dry before placing in your recycling
✔️ Place them loose in your Containers recycling

These containers are often mistaken by residents as 'flexible plastics', and we can understand why as they are indeed a little bendy (or flexible), however are not a plastic bag or wrapper-like piece of packaging, so is therefore grouped with rigid Containers for processing.

🌎 Taking a few simple steps and learning the difference between commonly confusing items helps ensure these materials are properly sorted, captured and recycled into new products, contributing to a more circular economy.

Find the full accepted materials list:
RecycleBC.ca/Materials

05/26/2026

Strong communities are built through long-term partnerships — and for the past 10 years, we’ve been proud to partner with Vancouver Whitecaps FC ♻️⚽

Just like recycling, building a strong future takes commitment, collaboration and investing in what matters for generations to come.

The Whitecaps continue to inspire communities across BC through sport, connection and leadership. We’re proud to stand with the Caps and support the future of the club and the game in our province. 💙🤍

05/14/2026

⛺ Camping over the long weekend? Help keep BC beautiful by packing out what you bring in! Here are some common camping recyclables that no longer have a place in the garbage. Leave them out of your pack list this camping season to more easily sort/recycle from the convenience of home, or pack them up and drop them off at a depot on your way home to save a trip to the depot later on:

Recyclable as "Containers":
✅ Aluminum Trays & Foil
✅ Large jugs that packaged water, juice, sodas
✅ Beverage cans & bottles (or drop off to a Return-it depot)
✅ Jars (from pickles etc)

Recyclable as "Flexible Plastics" (drop off to participating depots or London Drugs, or in communities where it exists, your pink bin):
✅ Cleansing, baby or facial wipe packaging (flexible kind with rigid plastic opening/closure)
✅ Beverage flat overap (from soda cans, bottled water etc.)
✅ Salad-in-a-bag packaging
✅ Instant noodle packaging (crinkly wrappers)
✅ Chip bags
✅ Marshmallow bags
✅ Hot dog & burger bun bags
✅ Sandwhich bread bags
✅ Granola bar wrappers
✅ Graham cracker bags
✅ Seaweed snack packaging
✅ Freeze-dried meal pouches (with no paper layers)

❌ NO garlic bread bags (most have a layer of paper)
❌ Flexible 6-pack rings (their composition is different than other flexible plastic packaging)

Hot Tip: Before heading to camp, locate a depot or London Drugs location that is on the route home so you already know where to drop by on your way back home from camp!

Find your nearest depot at: RecycleBC.ca/Depot

05/10/2026

💐 Are acts of service mum’s love language?

This Mother’s Day, offer to take care of her depot run and drop off her depot recyclables ♻️

Show mom your appreciation while helping keep materials in the circular economy in BC!

Here’s how to make it easy:

✔️ Gather depot-only items like Flexible Plastics and Foam Packaging
✔️ Sort materials into the correct streams before heading out
✔️ Place everything in reusable bags for easy drop-off
✔️ Visit a participating depot or London Drugs location
✔️ Drop off and let mom enjoy one less task on her list

Small actions can make a meaningful difference for both mom and the environment 💚

Find a participating depot or London Drugs near you:
RecycleBC.ca/Find-a-Depot

05/08/2026

♻️ MAY: Pop-Up Recycling Depot Events! ♻️

Recycle BC hosts Pop-Up Depot events in communities with limited access to recycling depots, making it easier for residents to recycle more materials.

Accepted for drop off:

✔️ Foam packaging
✔️ Flexible plastics
✔️ Mixed paper & cardboard
✔️ Glass bottles & jars

Free drop-off, no limit.
Residential materials only.

📍Parksville - 1080 Industrial Way
May 9 & 23, 2026 - 10am-3pm

📍 Lumby - 2230 Shields Avenue
May 2 & 16, 2026 - 10am-2pm

📍Vancouver – Dr A.R. Lord Elementary School (CoV Reuse & Recycling Drop-off Event - Donate and recycle!)
May 30, 2026 - 10am-1pm

Bring your materials for drop-off - Every effort counts!

For more details, visit:
RecycleBC.ca/PopUp

05/05/2026

Today, on Red Dress Day, we honour and remember the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people.

Across British Columbia and beyond, empty red dresses hang as powerful symbols of lives taken too soon, families still searching for answers, and communities carrying both grief and strength. Red is chosen because it calls the spirits of the missing and murdered back home, and represents strength, blood, and the connection of life and death.

At Recycle BC, we stand in reflection and solidarity with Indigenous communities. We recognize that remembrance must be paired with action, listening, learning, and supporting pathways toward safety and respect.

We invite everyone to take a moment today to reflect, to learn, and to honour the voices and stories that must never be forgotten.

Every dress tells a story. Every life matters.

For how to get involved, see: RecycleBC.ca/red-dress-day-2026

05/01/2026

📢 As recycling options continue to evolve across BC, we are pleased to bring added convenience and expanded services to more communities.

♻️ Starting this week, residents in the Regional District of Central Okanagan will be able to recycle non-deposit glass bottles and jars, as well as flexible plastics right at their curbside.

🔵To prevent flyaways:

✔️ The grey box is designed smaller to help manage weight and support ease of lifting for residents of all abilities, and also conveniently 'nests' into/on top of the pink box to prevent material from being blown away by wind.
✔️ Use the bag in bag method when collecting flexible plastics (stuff all flexible plastics in a used bread bag for example and place them open-end down in the pink box).
✔️ 'Nest' your grey box on top of/into your larger pink box prior to bringing it outside, before coming into contact with strong winds.

🔵Why are there no lids?

🛻 We piloted lid use in 2021 and found it was not practical to implement at scale, particularly when considering the day-to-day realities faced by the drivers we partner with who carry out these demanding collections.

♻️ With approximately 67,000 households receiving curbside recycling services in the RDCO, adding an additional manual step, such as handling lids at every stop, can significantly increase collection times. Over the course of a day, this can lead to longer routes, additional trucks on the road, and increased emissions.

🏡 To support an efficient and effective system, while also improving convenience for residents through curbside collection, simple alternatives have been introduced. These include the bag-in-bag method for Flexible Plastics and placing the smaller grey box, used for heavier materials like glass, inside the larger pink box to help keep materials secure.

🔵 By taking these small steps, we can work together to support a system that operates safely, efficiently, and effectively for all residents.

🔵For service collection details and information, visit: RecycleBC.ca/RDCO

City of Kelowna City of West Kelowna District of Lake Country District of Peachland Regional District of Central Okanagan

04/28/2026

Last week, we were proud to be part of the SWANA Northern Lights panel “What Can We Expect to See with EPR?”

The session brought together perspectives from across the country and highlighted how Extended Producer Responsibility continues to evolve in Canada. A key takeaway was the importance of harmonization and collaboration between Producer Responsibility Organizations, residents, local governments, First Nations and producers to build strong, effective programs.

With many provinces in transition there’s a lot of momentum and opportunity to bring these programs to life and maximize their impact.

Thanks to SWANA Northern Lights Chapter for the opportunity to contribute to this important conversation. Looking forward to continuing the work together.

Panel Speakers Included: Gavin Sidhu, Alberta Recycling Management Authority (ARMA), Gayleen Creelman, Kelly Kuryk, Government of Northwest Territories, Government of Nunavut, SK Recycles, Kim Timmer, Cleanfarms Inc., Jason Brown, Call2Recycle / Appel à Recycler Canada, Product Care Recycling, Blaire Gaalaas, Circular Materials

04/22/2026

🌎To celebrate all the efforts that have made the difference this Earth Day, we are answering some of the most asked questions surrounding BC’s residential recycling program.

♻️ Do materials actually get recycled? ♻️ How much is recycled? ♻️ Does recycling mean incineration? Where does it go? ♻️ How much stays in BC or within North American markets? ♻️ When residents sort, are their efforts worthwhile? ♻️

👉 Swipe right to see the steps in the recycling process as materials move through BC’s residential recycling system.

It starts with collection, where you set out at the curb, place materials in recycling bins in your apartment or condo, or drop them off to a depot ♻️

Materials are then collected by our partners and brought to a receiving facility. From there, they move through our post-collection system where they are sorted, baled, flaked or pelletized and sold to recycling end markets to give the recovered materials a second life.

In our last published annual report, it was noted that of the materials that residents sorted correctly in the program (Containers, Paper, Glass, Flexible Plastics, Foam Packaging that made it into the right recycling bins or depots):
- ✅ 94% were managed by recycling (not managed by incineration)
- 🌎 80% of materials collected were sent to North American recycling end markets
- 🍁 99% of plastics sent to recycling end markets in BC.

These increasingly positive results are made possible when materials are sorted correctly across all streams: Containers, Paper, Glass, Flexible Plastics and Foam Packaging.

This Earth Day, take a moment to learn more about BC’s residential recycling system, and the role it plays in supporting strong recycling outcomes. Every item sorted helps keep materials in the circular economy and makes a tangible and measurable difference. 💚

04/22/2026

A sincere thank you to everyone who joined us at the Recycle BC Partners Conference last week.

Over two days, participants came together to exchange insights and examine opportunities for continuous improvement through presentations, panels and in-depth discussions. Topics ranged from post-collection systems and emerging technologies to advancing flexible plastics collection and strengthening partnerships with First Nations communities. These conversations reflect the level of coordination and thoughtful design required to operate effective recycling programs in BC.

This conference reinforces that strong performance is built on collaboration, practical experience and ongoing refinement. The leadership and commitment demonstrated across the network continue to support a well-managed, accountable system for packaging and paper recycling.

Thank you to our partners for their continued and collaborative efforts to improve recycling systems, support communities and contribute to a more sustainable future, and thank you to our fellow BC residents for doing their part to sort and prepare materials at home. It is because of these joint efforts that BC's recycling systems has continued to and continues to advance.

Recycle BC

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