Recycling

What Can I Recycle?
Where Can I Recycle? 

Recycling in the RDCK

The RDCK operates 22 Recycling Depots throughout the district as part of the RecycleBC collection network.  RecycleBC is a Product Stewardship Program tasked with collecting and recycling Packaging and Printed Products (PPP) in British Columbia.  Producers of PPP fund RecycleBC to collect their material, and a portion of the RDCK's depot operating costs are covered by RecycleBC in the same way. 

Commercial recycling from businesses is not accepted in the RecycleBC program; however seperate commercial cardboard bins are provided at serveral depots for businesses to access.

More information about the Recycle BC program can be found on their website.

Did you know

that up to 60% of your household waste can be diverted from entering landfills just by recycling and composting? Recycling is available to all residents in the Regional District of Central Kootenay for everyday PPP items through the RecycleBC Depot program.  In addition, organics composting has launched in the Creston area.  Composting facilities will be opening soon to serve residents and businesses in the rest of the RDCK.  Visit our composting page for information on how you can produce valuable material from your household organic waste.

Putting your household waste on a "Waste Reduction Diet" involves the 5 "R" approach:

  • Reducing your consumption of resources
  • Reusing your resources
  • Returning your resources and
  • Recycling
  • Recovering 

How does the RDCK divert waste?

Recycling doesn’t end at your local depot. Your Regional District is committed to finding more opportunities to divert waste from entering the landfill.  All our facilities are sort-sites, meaning that if a material can be recovered or recycled we make sure that it is separated and recycled or re-used.  Clean wood, yard waste, scrap metal and large appliances are collected and diverted from the landfill.  Independent collectors also collect electronics, batteries, lightbulbs, paint and other difficult to recycle products through product stewardship programs.  To increase convenience, the RDCK has engaged community partners in Nelson to develop and operate an Eco-Depot, a one-stop recycling facility, and has plans to develop more locations in the district.

The benefits of recycling are endless!

  • Reduces unnecessary waste
  • Reduces consumption of resources
  • Reduces your disposal costs
  • Reduces landfilling costs and extends landfill life
  • Recovers non-renewable resources

Zero Waste

The Regional District of Central Kootenay Board has directed staff to incorporate Zero Waste and Zero Pollution as long terms goals in the RDCK's Resource Recovery Plan.  A Zero Waste and Zero Pollution philosophy is the foundation of the Resource Recovery Plan and guides all of our future actions and policies.

What is Zero Waste?

Zero Waste means many things but one thing is common, Zero Waste promotes a future without the need for landfills. Zero Waste is a goal that is both pragmatic and visionary. It is intended to encourage people to think more about a circular flow for materials rather than a linear one. With this mindset in place, all discarded materials are considered to be resources that still have use. Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to reduce the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, and to conserve and recover everything. Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all negative discharges to land, water or air that may be a threat to human or environmental health. Achieving Zero Waste will require everyone's support and participation.

Our Achievements

50% Target Met - In 1998 the Regional District of Central Kootenay successfully reduced the volume of residual waste heading to landfill by 50% compared with 1990's figures. Only a small handful of regional districts managed to meet that target. We were one of them.

Resource Recovery Plan (RRP) - We have selected "Zero Waste" as an end goal for the RRP. As part of the Plan will be focusing on source reduction as a way of decreasing the amount of residual waste being landfilled. This will require a total shift of mindset in all of our residents and in all of our communities.

Community Partnerships - The RDCK values our many community partners who assist with our ongoing efforts to eliminate the concept of "waste". Some of our partner organizations include Salmo Community Services, the Nelson Food Coalition, Earth Matters, the Nelson Leafs Bottle Depot, the Kaslo Jazz Fest, and the Nelson Eco Society.

Final Cover Composting Project - All garden/yard waste and discarded wood product is mulched and composted on site at a number of our waste handling facilities.  This material is then used as final cover at our landfills, thus eliminating the need to import material from elsewhere.

The content on this page was last updated June 29 2023 at 8:54 AM