RECYCLING – City’s recycling handled by TNRD in wake of Emterra fire

The Thompson-Nicola Regional District, City of Kamloops and Recycle BC have stepped in to ensure that recycling is still available following a fire at Emterra Environmental.

Emterra is  the only recycling processing facility in Kamloops.

Since the morning of Wednesday, June 7, 2023, recyclables from the City have been received at the TNRD’s South Thompson Eco-Depot in Pritchard. From this location, recyclables are being reloaded into transport trailers and hauled to an alternate Recycle BC processing facility in the Lower Mainland.

While this temporary process is in place, the residential recycling depot has been temporarily relocated within the South Thompson Eco-Depot property.

Customers can also expect to see a temporary increase in recyclable materials that are stockpiled on site and an increase in traffic. However, no significant impacts are anticipated for customers, the TNRD said in a news release.

Recycle BC is covering processing and hauling costs and other associated costs, meaning TNRD taxation isn’t subsidizing this operation. The TNRD said it expects that the South Thompson Eco-Depot will continue to receive the additional recyclables into next week, until the Emterra Environmental facility resumes full operations.

“We appreciate the understanding of residents using the South Thompson Eco-Depot while these temporary changes are in place on site,” said Adriana Mailloux, TNRD solid w2aste and recycling manager.

“We were happy to be able to support one of our member municipalities and avoid interruptions in recycling collection.”

No garbage collected within the City of Kamloops is being diverted, as these materials are continuing to be received at the Mission Flats landfill as normal.