B.C. to provide $10 million to help reuse plastic waste

The B.C. government is providing $10 million for made-in-b.c. solutions to reduce plastic waste and pollution.

On Tuesday, Jobs Minister Ravi Kahlon and Environment Minister George Heyman announced B.C. was launching the second intake of its Cleanbc Plastics Action Fund.

The $10 million will go toward projects by local businesses that would reduce the use of new plastic, expand reuse of plastics, and increase the use of post-consumer recycled plastics.

“Our recycling processes in B.C. have more categories of waste than any other jurisdiction in North America,” said Heyman at a news conference at a manufacturing facility in Delta.

About 315,000 tonnes of plastics, including electronics and beverage containers, are already recycled annually in B.C., with plans to expand to other waste products such as electronic-vehicle batteries, medical sharps, and mattresses.

In 2021, the province funded nearly $5 million for nine projects for the program’s first intake.

Clark Chow, CEO of Plascon Plastics in Delta, said the $600,000 his company received in the initial round of funding helped it create the first child-safe cannabis container made from 100 per cent recycled plastic.