Prince George, B.C. –“It’s an urban rural divide” that’s how Regional District of Fraser Fort George  Director Cameron Stolz describes Multi Materials B.C.’s method of  dealing with its mandate to achieve 75% recycling  in B.C.

The comment came  during a  Committee of the Whole meeting of the  Directors of the Regional District of Fraser Fort George.

Curbside recycling is to start in Prince George  September 1st,  but only to  those households which receive  curbside garbage pick up.  Multi family dwellings are on their own as are  another 530 homes which,  by choice, do not receive curbside garbage pick up.  Multi Materials B.C., which will be in  charge of the curbside  collection,  will not be offering any recycling services to the rural regions  which are members of the Regional District of Fraser Fort George.

RDFFG has a contract with Cascades  which has recycling drop bins  throughout the region, including some at the Foothills Landfill.  That contract  is to expire at the end of May. If the Regional District  does not extend the contract, then  the entire region loses  the opportunity to  drop off recyclables, and that means there will be increased tonnes of materials that will end up in the landfill.

But extending the contract means  local taxpayers will be picking up the tab for a service which, under the  legislation  that established MMBC, is supposed to be  offered at no extra cost.

“I feel duped” says Valemount Mayor Andru McCracken “I thought that  when we heard  about MMBC we would  have an opportunity to have more recycling, instead, we are being handed an opportunity to spend more for the same level of service.”

Stolz  says, MMBC  only chose to  provide recycling services in 67 of 189 communities in B.C., selecting the urban communities and leaving  rural BC in the dark “MMBC has done this, in my opinion, deliberately.”

The Directors are unanimous in their  call for more pressure on the Provincial Government to revise the legislation to ensure  rural BC is part of the  picture.

“No doubt  about it, our taxpayers are going to pay twice, at the till and  again in their taxes” says McBride Mayor Mike Frazier “At some point they are going to raise holy hell, asking us why they are paying twice when they should be  putting that  question to the province.”

None the less, the  Regional District has approved extending the Cascades contract to May of 2015, and that  from January to May of 2015, a new funding scheme for  the service be  put in place which would reflect the fact that most of Prince George is receiving curbside recycling under the MMBC banner and those P.G. residents would not have to cover the costs. How the costs for that  service will be shared throughout the region has  yet to be determined.

Directors have also agreed to  continue pressuring the province  to address the  inequity, including meetings with  provincial  representatives  “You don’t need to do it  once a week “ says Mackenzie Mayor Stephanie Killam “You need to  do it each and every time you  see your MLA, and the public should do the same thing,  so they understand we are upset and we need to see a change.”