Prince George, B.C. – B.C.’s recycling system is performing well in some areas but there are areas for improvement.

That was the assessment of Auditor General Carol Bellringer in her new report released today entitled: “Product Stewardship: An Overview of recycling in B.C.”

In B.C., government regulates recycling but collection and recycling is carried out by producers and stewardship agencies like Multi-Material BC (MMBC).

The report showed MMBC – who recycle packaging and printed paper – exceeded its 75% target recovery rate by 2% in 2015. That province-wide number was a slight drop from the 80.1% recovery rate a year earlier.

Though there weren’t specific numbers for communities in the province, Bellringer said MMBC experienced “the same” average recovery rates in Prince George.

She said those recovery rates were one example where the system was working well. Bellringer said another example is the Ministry of Environment’s performance framework which includes goals, measurable targets, monitoring and enforcement.

She said areas for improvement include expanding access to recycling services throughout the province, ensuring compliance and greater financial transparency. However, Bellringer did note the government was aware of those needs and was working on improvements.